English spoken by the Speakers of Dravidian Languages: A phonetic Analysis

Abstract

International communication happens in the most widespread language in the world which is English. It is clearly evident and inevitable that no two people pronounce exactly alike, because of various differences. Nevertheless RP English still serves as a standard model for educated people to learn pronunciation. The focus of the study is the speakers of major Dravidian languages. The four main languages of the family are Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam which are spoken in their respective states. The existing phonemic inventory of those languages and the deviations seen in speakers of Dravidian languages are listed below. Phonemic symbols are taken from the IPA. It is found that the duration in diphthongs of Dravidian languages is lesser than the diphthongs of RP English. On the other hand consonants of Dravidian languages also have some deviations from the consonants of RP like alveolar sounds made retroflex, dental fricatives replaced by dental plosives. The importance of pronunciation and hindrances to achieve it are mentioned and few suggestions are given to help learners to learn pronunciation. Finally, it is concluded that as we take these steps to teach pronunciation to learners we can expect greater results in learners in the near future.