A STUDY OF PHONOLOGICAL INTERFERENCE IN THE PRONUNCIATION OF THE ENGLISH VOICED LABIODENTAL FRICATIVE AMONG KAILI RAI STUDENTS AT SMAN 1 SINDUE

ABSTRACT

Adinda Mawadda Rahma (A12122143). A Study of Phonological Interference in
the Pronunciation of the English Voiced Labiodental Fricative Among Kaili Rai
Students at SMAN 1 Sindue. Skripsi, English Education Study Program, Department
of Language and Arts Education, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education,
Tadulako University. Under the supervision of Mukrim, S.Pd., M.Ed., P.hD., and
Siska Bochari, S.S., M.Hum.

This study investigates phonological interference in the production of the
English voiced labiodental fricative /v/ among Kaili Rai EFL students. The research
problem arises from the frequent substitution of /v/ with /f/ among Indonesian
learners, while variation across phonological positions and specific regional
language backgrounds remains underexplored. The objective of this study is to
identify the types and frequency of interference in /v/ pronunciation and to examine
positional vulnerability in its realization. A descriptive quantitative design was
employed. Thirty-four students were selected through purposive sampling from a
population of 211. Data were gathered using word lists, minimal pairs, and sentence
reading tasks containing /v/ in initial, medial, and final positions. The recordings
were transcribed using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) and analyzed
through frequency and percentage calculations. The findings reveal three types of
interference: substitution, omission, and epenthesis, with substitution emerging as
the most dominant pattern. Interference occurred more frequently in word-initial
and word-final positions than in medial positions, indicating that phonological
position plays a significant role in second language segment production. The results
demonstrate that pronunciation difficulty is not solely caused by the absence of a
phoneme in the first language but is also shaped by positional distribution.

Keywords: /v/ production, EFL pronunciation, Kaili Rai students,
phonological interference, voiced labiodental fricative