Problematic English Syllable Structures for ESL Multilingual Students in Pakistan

Abstract

 The current research aims to describe the problematic English syllable structures for ESL multilingual students in Pakistan. The nature of the study is qualitative and quantitative. The study used the questionnaire to collect the data from the participants. The random sampling technique was used to select the participants. The participants were included in the study based on their first language. The questionnaire was designed and a word list with diverse CV structural patterns were given to the participants for collecting the responses.  The data shows that pronunciation varies and has exceptions, especially when one takes into account the impact of regional dialects and accents. Furthermore, the data reveals that complex words may display mixtures of syllable patterns, and certain syllables may have several vowels or diphthongs which create problems for the speakers. In addition, data shows that students face problems in the CC clusters or CVC patterns which are absent in their first language.  The study recommends a further spectrographic study of these syllable patterns.