Indonesian Journal of Education.
Social Sciences and Research (IJSSR) Vol.
No.
March, pp.
ISSN: 2721-3838.
DOI: 10.
30596/jcositte.
ENGLISH SILENT LETTERS PRODUCED BY NEW ENGLISH
LEARNERS CAN DESTROY THE STANDARD ENGLISH
PRONUNCIATION
Ali Amran1 Mandra Saragih2 Faculty of Education and Teacher Training.
Universitas Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara
ABSTRACT
This research tries to investigate, analyse why new English learners produce English silent letters when they communicate.
There are many new leaners of English can easily produce some non-standard English pronunciation dealing with those silent letters which may lead English Expert misinterpret the meaning which finally misunderstand take place.
This study also focuses on the standard English pronunciation based on either British or American English pronunciation.
Winda P.
, at al, agree that one thing that always happened in the errors of speaking English is silence in a letter.
They define silent letter as a letter which is not pronounced in a word, it is present in spelling but missed in pronunciation.
While Podhaizer .
, states that the silent letters are letters which are not sounded.
Therefore.
English learners, when facing with silent letter words, were often confused about the New learners don not realize that they make mistake in pronouncing several words when they communicate in English.
English silent letters are that you must write that letter in some particular words, but you must not read it.
If you do not write it the words is not complete and it is wrong word in terms of spelling.
Then if you pronounce it, based on you un-conscious knowledge, automatically you then produce non-standard English pronunciation.
Most new learners commonly make mistake in pronouncing the following words: For examples the words half, doubt, debt, combing, climbing, plumber and so on.
Musa Abubakar clarifies that perfect pronunciation as one of the effective language skills in communication greatly affects teaching, learning and usage of English as a second language because it enhances transfer of information from source to target.
Further.
Bishnu P.
defines that English is an un phonetic language.
There is no match between the letter that we write and the sound we produce.
Finally, the writer tries to list those silent letters derived from several different academic resources.
Keyword : Silent letters, spelling.
Pronunciation, lists of silent letters Corresponding Author:
Ali Amran Faculty of Education and Teacher Training.
Universitas Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara Email : aliamran@umsu.
INTRODUCTION
Language is a communication tool used by everyone in their daily life as a means to convey information and arguments to others.
In this case, the language cannot be separated from culture because language represent its nation and has close relation to the attitude or behavior of groups of speakers of the languages.
Learning a language is not as simple as eating a piece of cake.
Language experts, language professors, lecturers and language teachers keep doing some research, some analysis, some discussion how languages in this world work and develop.
English, for example, has some sorts of rules and regulation to follow in order for the learners to gain the proper language knowledge then they can apply it properly, too.
People coming from two different countries may face some misunderstanding when they communicate due to some different background of language knowledge.
British say AuFlatAy while American say AyapartmentAy Perhaps English Journal homepage: http://jurnal.
id/index.
php/ijessr ISSN: 2723-3693 people have to learn about the meaning of AuapartmentAy when they travel to the Unites States, and Americans also have to learn the meaning of AuflatAy before they travel to London.
When we discuss in more details about spelling and pronunciation of -OR - and -OUR- new learners may have some slight differences how to read Like the word AuCOLORAy and AuCOLOURAy.
In American English AucolorAy, so the letter AuUAy is neither printed nor sounded, while in British English the letter AuUAo must be printed but not sounded at all.
Yet the meaning remains the same, we talk about the color, blue, red, white, yellow and so on.
Widya Astuti at all, conclude that English is full of inconsistencies which make it become one of the difficult languages to learn.
She furthers states that the inconsistency lies in pronouncing words because there is mostly no correspondence between written and spoken word.
She then clarifies that English words are not always pronounced as they are written.
Each sound is represented by more than one written letter or by sequences of and any letter of the word represents more than one sound, or it may not represent any sound at all.
Therefore, when we begin to speak English, it is essential to get used to the common sounds of the language.
Pronunciation is a vital aspect of language learning.
In fact, many Indonesians, who has no basic English in their minds, can easily pronounce the word AuhostAy as a /hyrs/, they do not pronounce properly.
Once they change the pronunciation, they do not realize that the meaning is changed.
They pronounce a /hyrs/, means an It has nothing to do with the person who leads the event in a meeting.
The meaning is really disconnected.
Manser .
AuPronunciation is the way in which language or words are spoken.
Ay From the definition above, pronunciation can be regarded as the production of significant sounds of the words that we use to communicate with the others to make a meaning.
every speaker requires good pronunciation when s/he communicates to each other as stressed by Odisho .
AuPronunciation is the production of speech sound for communication but to make the communication run well, those sound must be comprehended by another person.
Ay It is generally recognized that pronunciation is the first and most important thing a person notice during a conversation.
Knowing grammar and vocabulary is important as well but useless if the speaker is unable to pronounce those structures or words correctly.
Musa Abubakar defines that perfect pronunciation as one of the effective language skills in communication greatly affects teaching, learning and usage of English as a second language because it enhances transfer of information from source to target.
From this discussion we can make sure that pronunciation is indeed needed.
Many linguists and language philosophers in the world keep reading, investigating, making some comparisons, and they even very keen in conducting more and more research on languages.
Since it is true that languages in the word also keep developing as the human beings In fact, more and more new vocabularies keep appearing in those languages.
Some universities in this world, through their faculties, also provide some foreign languages as one of elective subjects so students can choose which one foreign language they can take and learn as their non-mandatory subject.
As a matter of fact, many university students in many different universities overseas decide to learn Indonesian as either mandatory or a non-mandatory subject.
Then once they graduate and master Indonesian, later on they can apply for a job in Indonesian embassy or Indonesian general consulates in overseas as either as an interpreter or as a translator.
Some very common questions asked by new learners are, how can I speak English well? How should I learn in order to speak English well? How ca I speak English fluently? They do not ask what they should do in order for them to speak English well and fluently.
Why English? Different people may have different personal professional reasons what they learn English for.
As I recall, some say, because English is an International Language.
English is a global language.
English is a business language, and so on.
The researcher has some unique reasons to answer this question AuWhy English? The reasons are English is so sexy, so pretty, so unique, so smart, so expensive, so universal.
English is so sexy? English is so sexy because written and spoken are not always the same.
New learners often make mistakes in pronouncing the words since the spellings and the pronunciations are not always the English is so pretty? English is so pretty because it sounds so pretty.
When they call their husbands or wives or any beloved family members, they use the word AuhoneyAy.
Hi honey, how are you doing? In Indonesian when we use the word AumaduAy, hai madu, apa kabar mu? It sounds awkward.
English is so unique? English is so unique because one word in English may produce several different meanings in Indonesian.
The word AuGOAy, for example, may be translated as AujumpAy when you are about to jump into the water in the pool in the swimming pool.
It also may mean Aufind outAy, when a trained dog asked to search the body in the disaster areas.
English is so smart? English is so smart because many people who formerly were not smart, then after learning and mastering English they become smart people in the world.
Also, many smart people on earth share their information, working experience and some scientific knowledge in English.
Even now people in the world many smart people can learn and read the contains of the QurAoan in English English is so expensive? English is so expensive means that everybody can learn and master English Indonesian Journal of Education.
Social Sciences and Research (IJESSR) Vol.
5 No.
November, pp.
ISSN: 2723-3693
independently, some even acquire it freely.
Once they master it then can sell it in a very high price.
For example, when you become a very professional English interpreter, you can offer your rate or your price contract to the international NGOAos or any world level parties who need the English interpreters.
English is so universal? English is a universal language means that nowadays people can speak English even though they not coming from speaking English countries, like from UK.
Australia or from the USA.
Most tourists speak English even their English is not as English spoken by native speakers.
We agree that most international conference, seminar, symposium, debates applied in English, no matter where the participants are coming According to Winda Pusfarani at all, pronunciation is the way of someone pronounce or speak out the words that accepted or understood in a particular language.
It is often being as a kind of skill to show that someone have superiority in mastering English.
Gilakjani .
stated that pronunciation is an integral part of foreign language learning since it directly affects learnersAo communicative competence and performance.
Some people judge English competence based on speaking in a good pronunciation ability rather than from any other language skills.
Moreover, people are considered successful in the language if they can fluently pronounce their second and foreign language.
Any language you learn and master, you are dealing with the four language components, namely.
Listening.
Reading.
Speaking and Writing.
Listening.
If you are very qualified in English listening, and you are possessing an international standard certificate in listening, you may apply your job as an international detective, like in FBI, in CIA or any world class detective officers.
Reading.
If you are very qualified in English Reading, you are one of the best English readers, plus you are certified as the best English reader, then you can apply for a great job as world class news reader, like in CNN.
BBC.
ABC and other world class TV Channels.
VOA, and other news reader in social medias.
Speaking.
If you are very qualified in English speaking, you can become world class motivator, international invited speaker for some particular international events.
World class professor, lecturer, tutor, or at least as you become one of the most popular speaking teachers on earth.
Writing.
If you are talented enough in writing then you can become world class book or novel writer.
You can write some popular textbooks in English, some famous novels.
You can also write some expensive articles, journals, and you can do some world class research, too.
Finally, if you master all four language components, at least you can become local or national English teacher.
That means when you master English, nothing to lose then.
As we know that there are tremendous number of Indonesian students continue their studies in foreign countries and even millions of legal and illegal Indonesian workers are making money to earn living in This fact can drive the researcher to temporarily conclude that nowadays Indonesian language is spoken by more and more speakers worldwide.
Besides, there are tremendous number of foreign travellers, foreign business players, international researchers, and even more foreign language professors, lecturers and teachers are learning Indonesian language in their countries.
When the researcher visited Saudi Arabia, particularly Medina and Mecca cities, the researcher met lots of foreign people speak Indonesian.
Most of them were running their business activities there.
One of them claimed that he learned Indonesian since millions of Indonesians visit those two main cities for special holly programs called Umrah and Haj pilgrim.
The researcher found that these people speak Indonesian, but grammatically for away from being standard.
Sometimes misunderstanding takes place, because they sometimes mix the words Indonesian and English.
Musa Abubakar clarifies that there is no doubt that English as a second language to the greater percentage of the world population has dominated all spheres of life the world over because of its numerous functions.
This shows that it is a multifaceted means of communication that has grown beyond its original borders.
In most third world countries, it is the official language, language of education and lingua franca across divergent multi ethno-linguistic entities.
Based on this, it has become pertinent for people to learn and use the language to satisfy the ever-growing needs of the language.
Abu Bakar also convinces that for second language learners to be able to acquire and use the English language effectively there are four skills to be mastered:
listening, speaking, reading and writing.
Students of English as a second language all over have to master the four skills to function appropriately.
Of the four skills, speaking is the most important and is greatly affected by pronunciation .
sub-skill of listenin.
since the nature of language is speech.
With the vital role of English as language of communication globally, learning good/correct pronunciation is vital.
Pusfarani et al.
argues that incorrect or wrong pronunciation would be transferred in learning and also leads to Language and Rules What is language? Language can define based on the scientific knowledge and professional working Julia S at all, claim that language reflects both the individual characteristics of a person, as well as the beliefs and practices of his or her community.
They further agreed that languages are rule-governed (Mukoro Akpomuvir.
ISSN: 2723-3693 systems made up of signs, so for an outsider to learn the language of the community.
In conjunction with language and rules, then Yehonatan Givati, asked a question, can language be centrally planned and controlled? Then Friedrich Hayek considered language the archetypal example of spontaneous order, yet many countries adopt a planned order approach to language, attempting to centrally plan and control it through language academies.
In this case, the researcher agrees that to master a new language, learners have to learn it through its set-up rules, sounds and signs, too.
Besides, the learners have to know the characteristics of the language, including the rules and the systems so that they can walk and run in it.
The problem is that what will happen when we pronounce the words not based on the rules? It is understood that different spelling will lead leaners to have different pronunciation and meaning, too.
For example, the words AocutAo .
-u-.
AocuteAo .
-u-t-.
, and AocuterAo .
-u-t-e-.
these words have different spelling, different pronunciation and also they have different meanings.
The words AohaveAo, .
-a-v-.
AohasAo .
-a-.
also have different spelling and they both have different functions, too.
The words.
AohelpAo .
-e-l-.
AohelpsAo .
-e-l-p-.
AohelpedAo .
-e-l-p-e-.
and AohelpingAo .
-e-l-p-i-n-.
These words, in fact, have different spellings and they have different forms or functions of the words.
Language and Meanings Talking about meaning, meaning is a complex translation and interpretation activities.
To gain the real meaning of some particular words or phrases in a certain language, the translation must be accurately produced and the speaker must have such huge information, knowledge, experience how to pronounce those The meaning can be disconnected when the speakers do not have these three categories.
In another words, both the speaker and the listener cannot run the conversation smoothly.
Further.
Jesus Martinez, at al, explains that the meaning constitutes the series of contents making up the linguistic world human subjects can manage real things.
That is one of the reasons why the real things are not described with meanings but merely represented and designated.
Meanings represent the essence of things thus making them members of a category.
Jesus Martinez further explains, in this sense, meaning is the base to create things in as much as they constitute entities.
Only through the operation of determination can meanings designate individual real Since meaningful categories are intended to particular purposes, meaning is intentional and inclusive.
Jesus Marinez, at al, further clarify that meaning as the original function of language is the arrangement of internal things on the part of the creative and historical individual subject who speaks a particular language.
Even one word in the same language may have diverse meanings, too.
Since meaningful categories are intended to particular purposes, meaning is intentional and inclusive.
And also, the above examples are really related to what Radika S, at al, write that.
Halliday convinces the three factors namely .
Textual, namely the context form of the speech that represents the meaning of the speech.
Ideational, namely the content of the message to be conveyed.
Interpersonal, namely the meaning that is present in the speech event by the There is no consensus on a theory that can be used for all situation.
In English, for instance, the words AuStayAy and AuLiveAy carry different meanings.
AuWhere do you stay?Ay .
sking for temporary addres.
, while AuWhere do you live?Ay .
sking for permanent addres.
Truly speaking.
Indonesian also carries different meanings when talking about words and their meanings.
For examples, the Indonesian words.
Autinggal, meninggal, tertinggal, bertinggalan, ketinggalan, ditinggalkan.
Indonesians may think twice to gain the meaning of the following statement, asked by foreign speaker.
AuBerapa lama bapak meninggal di Indonesia?Ay From these examples, the researcher concludes that, when we speak a language, no matter even in the same language, applying the wrong words then we may have disconnected meanings.
Language and Functions When we discuss about the functions of a language, then we believe that every language is creative, since vocabulary in one particular language keeps increasing, in another words, several new words keep existing and even being printed in a dictionary of the language.
Also, one meaning in one context of a particular word is never enough to explain its function about something.
In English for example.
Aua glass of teaAy and Aua cup of teaAy.
The word AuglassAy refers to some cold drink, while the word AucupAy refers to some hot drink.
Busmin Gurning.
Fakultas Bahasa dan Seni Universitas Negeri, completely clarifies that because language is seen as a means of expressing meaning which is manifested in lexicogrammatical form, or realizing meaning in the form of language units .
then can be heard .
or readable .
(Eggins, 1994: .
Lexicogrammatics is a combination of grammar and vocabulary or vocabulary arranged based on grammatical principles to express meaning in language.
The meaning referred to here can be in the form of ideas, thoughts, feelings, opinions, wishes, and desires or messages and The meaning can be expressed clearly if the person expressing the meaning, both orally and in writing, chooses the correct and appropriate vocabulary and grammar as well as the use of the original Language context plays a very important role in expressing meaning.
Indonesian Journal of Education.
Social Sciences and Research (IJESSR) Vol.
5 No.
November, pp.
ISSN: 2723-3693
Cultural involvement is actually very crucial in this matter, but this is not done specifically but only in Language as a communication tool is the most effective way to convey thoughts, intentions and goals to the people we communicate with.
Language as a means of communication has the main function of language, namely that communication is the delivery of messages or meanings by one person to another.
The main function of language is as a tool for interacting with humans, a tool for thinking, and channeling the meaning of trust in society.
Jan 29 2020.
Language as a tool for self-expression can be a medium for expressing self-existence, freeing oneself from emotional pressure, and for attracting the attention of others.
26 Apr 2023.
According to Halliday .
n Pranowo, 1996:.
, there are seven functions of language, namely instrumental, regulatory, representational, interactional, individual, heuristic, and imaginative functions.
The above scientific information then the researcher agrees to function a language, the speaker when talking to his listener .
, he must think about, first, the right spelling of the words, second the pronunciation, and third the grammar plus the meanings of the phrases and sentences, and finally the translation knowledge of the listener in terms of those what the speaker has to have.
By completing those speaking and listening categories then language can automatically and functionally work.
Identification of Problems This study tries to identify and investigate those English silent letters [AAiZ] through social medias, like televisions and You Tube channels, some published -- international journal and English textbooks dealing with silent letters.
In the process of learning or practicing a new language you are learning, making mistakes is not a big deal, you still can do some great efforts to make it standard, but when you perform those poor mistakes repeatedly, thatAo s very unfortunate.
The researcher believes that not all local people have the same language knowledge as you pretend to.
In English, for example, if we want to have the standard English pronunciation, we can do huge number of exercises through TOEFL, particularly through listening part of the TOEFL.
These parts of exercises can help learners improve their standard English pronunciation.
When you are communicating with foreign people, misunderstanding can appear especially when you mispronounce the words in English.
Then, it is advised that we must learn the standard pronunciation before we produce the words or phrases in order to avoid misunderstanding.
Scope and Limitation of Problems This research study focuses on the silent English letters in words or phrases.
English silent letters which structurally break or damage the pronunciation used by those new English learners when they are having some dialogues, debates, interviews, and other live speaking activities throughout social medias, like televisions and you tube channels.
The limitation of this research study is basically on those the English silent letters [ AAiZ] produced by those new English learners Formulations of The Problems The formulations of the study are as the following:
What English silent letters do exist based on the English alphabetical order? Which English silent letters do exist mostly, consonant or vowel silent letters? What are the rules and regulations of silent letters applied in English? Spellings The right combinations of several letters .
onsonants and vowel.
form a word which carry some particular meaning and understood by the leaners.
When they carry no meaning at all, that means there must be something wrong with the combinations themselves.
For instance, the combinations of letters .
-b-k-o-o.
carries no meaning, but once you combine those letters into .
-o-o-k-e-.
, they produce some particular As what Muhammad Imtiaz, explains that to write words, spelling is remembered as critical.
The possibility of typographical errors in writing could alter and complicate the meaning and comprehension of written content.
He further clarifies that, therefore, it is crucial to spell words correctly in order to communicate the content's precise meaning.
According to Babayiit and Stainthorp .
, grammar and phonological abilities significantly influence writing success in this situation.
Finally.
Muhammad Imtiaz concludes that spelling is a crucial component of a fundamental ability needed by pupils.
Correct spelling allows authors to convey their ideas and thoughts within a consistent framework that is simple for readers to Spelling must be accurate in order for writing to be successful.
In terms of writing, leaners should know the alphabetical members of the language they are leaning.
We agree that every language has alphabets which consist of vowels and consonants and in terms of sound systems and spellings, one language may have more vowels compared to other languages.
In English for example, the vowel /i/ can be pronounce as /ai/ as in AulikeAy, /e/ as in AubirdAy, /i/ as in AuitAo, and zero pronunciation or silent as in AusuitAy.
Spelling is the learner's (Mukoro Akpomuvir.
ISSN: 2723-3693 ability to write a word correctly.
if learners do not know about the spelling, they cannot write the sentence correctly which will make readers confused with their words or sentences.
Before learning about the new language, we must be familiar with the alphabet, where the learners should write and spell the character.
Not only that, the students must know many vocabularies in order to do the writing correctly.
When the leaners know about many vocabularies, the error will be less than those leaners who know less vocabulary.
Leaners do misspell because they are sure if the word that they write is right, but the reality, the word that they write is wrong or error (Mekhlafi, 2.
Spelling has some difficulties especially for those new leaners, those difficulties can drive leaners produce some errors, as what Phenix .
claims and devides spelling difficulties into two categories: .
linguistics, which are related to the nature of the language and .
personal, which relate to the different stages of development learners go through.
He further describes these stages as follows: Pre-phonetic Ae learners use a mixture of pictures, shapes, letters or signs.
Semi-phonetic Ae learners use letter names to represent sounds.
Phonetic Ae learners use known sounds to write words and they become aware of word boundaries and leave spaces between words.
Visual Ae learners use most letters correctly, if not in the right order.
they use vowels in every syllable.
Mature Ae learners use a full range of strategies to spell words and they are able to make analogies from known spelling patterns.
they are able to recognize incorrect spellings.
New leaners normally make mistake in spelling the words of the language they are leaning.
In conjunction with this case.
Rosalie L.
Coronado claims that many learners of English, including learners in schools exhibit difficulties with English These difficulties are attributed to a number of causes, such as the irregularity of the orthographic system of English and mother tongue interference.
Similarly.
Al-Jabri .
investigates the spelling errors of learners in two rural schools.
He has found that the most frequent errors committed were also errors of omission and substitution, while the errors of transposition and insertion were less frequent.
Abu-Rabia and Taha .
investigate the spelling error profiles of students in grades 1 - 6.
They conclude that phonological spelling errors predominated in all grades over other error categories and represented 50% of the total errors.
Al-Taani .
presents a study of spelling errors in leanersAo writings at the secondary school level in the United Arab Emirates.
He focuses on the position of spelling errors and finds that most spelling errors occur in the middle of misspelled words.
He recommends that more time should be allocated to the investigation of spelling errors of this type.
Pronunciations The members of the vowels and consonants that we have in a certain English word, may change the pronunciations and may lead leaners to have different meanings too.
LetAos take a close look at the following words.
The word AocarAo is pronounced as /kyt/, the word AocuteAo is pronounced as /kyt/, the word AocarAo is pronounced as /ka/, the word AocareAo is pronounced as /ky/.
EL-Hibir and Taha .
conducted a study on spelling errors.
they found that the discrepancy between the writing system and the pronunciation of English makes orthography far from phonemic.
They add that spelling errors result not only from the inconsistencies in English spelling and pronunciation but also from the influence of the leanerAos mother tongue.
Cook .
asserts, "Unlike native speakers, students may not know the actual system of English, and will appear to use the wrong letter".
Writing well is really a big challenge for both native and non-native students.
He deals with the learnersAo spelling difficulties and suggests three main problems that are single words, pronunciationbased, and spelling-correspondence problems.
Single word problems come from the fact that English consists of many individual words and so learners have to study some words individually.
Pronunciation-based problems occur when learners do not know the English sound system and therefore use the wrong letters.
The letter AoIAo may have different pronunciations, it depends on the words it represents.
For example, the words AolikeAo.
AokiteAo.
AobirdsAo.
AoskirtAo.
AosuitAo.
The first and the second word have the same pronunciations, and the third and the fourth also have the same pronunciations, while the last word AoIAo is not pronounced at all.
If leaners do not have some strong English knowledge in their mind, again they may feel confused when listening to the following words.
For examples.
the words AorightAo and AowriteAo, the word .
ast tens.
and AoredAo.
Also, when we listen to Australian dialect, like the following statement.
AuAre you ready to die todayAy?.
The word Aoto dieAo and AotodayAo almost have the same pronunciation.
The researcher agrees that to gain the meaning of a certain word in English, leaners should think of the following related matters, namely.
the spellings, the pronunciations, and the context of the situation.
For instance, the simple word AoGOAo.
It is spelled [ gi-ou ], it is pronounced /gou/, but the meanings are vary.
The swimming instructor informs the student on the flat at the pool.
GO!, means AojumpAo.
The student who is leaning swimming is advised to AojumpAo into the water in the pool.
Your white T-shirt goes well with the balck pants.
Goes well means suitable to see.
The military man instructs the trained-dog to find out the victims by saying, go-go-go.
And so on.
Indonesian Journal of Education.
Social Sciences and Research (IJESSR) Vol.
5 No.
November, pp.
ISSN: 2723-3693
Silent Letters Why do call them silent Letters? Silent letters mean that the letters that we do not read but we must write them in words or vocabularies.
In another words, the letters must be printed in the words that we are not allowed to pronounce them.
In another words, those letters are silent.
Bishnu P.
, states that English is an un phonetic language.
He further clarifies that there is no match between the letter that we write and the sound we produce.
When the same subject is taught in the class and students are asked to acquire proper pronunciation in English it is very difficult on their part to speak or pronounce with proper accent or pronunciation because of the interference of certain barriers.
He investigates that one of the most important barriers other than the mother tongue interference.
Then he finalizes that Educational backgroundAo is the existence of silent letters in English vocabulary which really intensifies the problem of acquiring the right pronunciation in English.
According to Bishnu P.
, in English pronunciation silent letter is an informal term for a letter of the alphabet .
r a letter combinatio.
thatAos usually left unpronounced, such as the b in subtle, the c in scissors, the g in design, the t in listen, and the gh in thought.
Also called dummy letter.
Silent letters are the ghosts of pronunciations past.
The word 'knight', with its silent 'k', and silent 'gh'.
So, in a word like 'bite' .
ot a real old-English example, but simpler for expositio.
the 'e' at the end would have meant that the word was pronounced bi.
te, with two syllables.
In the Germanic language, open syllables had long vowels, so 'bit' would be short 'i', 'bite' would be long.
Nowadays, the distinction between long and short vowels in English is actually more than just length because of the Great Vowel Shift.
So, whereas before, 'bite' would have been something like 'beetuh', the Great Vowel Shift and the eventual elision of the final 'e' makes its modern pronunciation 'byt' Ae silent 'e'.
In an alphabetic Writing system, a silent letter is a letter that, in a particular word, remains silent, i.
e it does not correspond to any sound in the wordAos pronunciation.
The term silent designates a letter in the written form of a word which is not sounded or pronounced in speech.
Given the arbitrary and unpredictable aspect of the English spelling, many letters could be said to be silent in certain British spelling is slightly more archaic than American.
In the early part of the 19th century, the pioneering dictionary maker in America introduced many reforms in English spelling.
Many abstract nouns in American English end in-our, and Last AorAo sound is not pronounced.
It remains silent.
Such words are armour, behaviour, colour etc.
RESEARCH METHOD
The Type of Research This research study applies the qualitative methods of research which explains and clarifies why those English silent letters can be produced by new learners of English, in another word, they can smoothly destroy English pronunciation while they are having conversations, dialogues, debates in their daily conversation.
The Objectives of Research The objects of this research study is the English silent letters [ A Ae Z ] produce by new English learners while they are having conversations, dialogues, debates in in their daily conversation.
Data Collection The data of this study (English silent letter.
are derived from the conversations, dialogue, debates, interviews of those new learners through social medias, like youtube channels.
Tik Tok, and some scientific and academic printed information, like International journals, textbooks and so on.
The processes of collecting the data are as the following.
Searching.
The researcher searches those conversations, dialogues, debates, interviews of those new English learners live either on televisions or other social media like you tube channels, tik tok.
Watching.
The researcher watches and listens to some .
, then he also reads the journals, and English textbooks repeatedly till he is convinced that he finds out those English silent letters which produced by those new English learners.
Making Lists.
Finally, the researcher writes down those English silent letters [A-Z] into the tables, like the following.
Here are the lists of common letter combinations with silent letters in alphabetical order.
This list contains most of the silent letters that derived from different resources.
(Mukoro Akpomuvir.
No.
Letters If a word ends in ically automatically, basically, chaotically, practically, specifically.
B is not pronounced when following M at the end of a word.
climb, crumb, dumb, comb, tomb, thumb, bomb, lamb, numb, limb, succumb, tomb, womb.
ISSN: 2723-3693 Table 1.
List Contains Most of the Silent Letters Explanation Examples When a word ends in MB When MB is in the middle of a word, most of the time B is sounded.
B is silent before the C is not pronounced in the ending "scle.
C is silent after an S and before an E or climber, plumber, ambiguous member, number, symbol, umbrella debt, doubt, subtle descent, fascinate, fluorescent, scene, scent, science D is not pronounced in the following common words:
handkerchief, wednesday, handsome, sandwich.
D is silent before the letter G badge, bridge, budged, edge, fridge, judge, knowledge E is not pronounced at the end of words and usually makes the vowel long.
hope, drive, gave, write, site, rope, come E is silent at the end Indonesian Journal of Education.
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of a word before, bridge, example, give, have, some Sometimes the effects of the pronunciation of the previous vowel cap y cape cod y code hat y hate quit y quite sit y site This rule doesnAot apply if E is the only vowel be, he, she, the E is normally silent in -ed verb ending called, helped, looked, cooked, seemed We only pronounce the E if the verb ends in /d/ or /t/ ended, started, included, wanted G is not often pronounced when followed by an N.
Champagne, campaign, foreign, sign, feign, reign G is not sounded if a word begins with gnat, gnaw, gnome If GN is in the middle a word, most of the time we pronounce the G.
ignore, magnificent, signature GH is not pronounced before T and at the end of many words.
Thought, through, daughter, light, thought, night, weight H is not pronounced when following W.
Some speakers What, when, where (Mukoro Akpomuvir.
ISSN: 2723-3693 whisper the H before the W.
H is silent if a word begins with RH Similarly if a word begins with RH.
H is not pronounced at the beginning of many words.
Use the article "an" with unvoiced H.
H is normally silent when it begins with Gherkin, ghetto, ghost, rheumatic, rhinoplasty rhinoceros, rhythm heir, hour, honest, honor.
H is also silent after whale, what, when, white, whychemistry, mechanic, school, stomach, technology I is silent Business K is not pronounced when followed by N at the beginning of a knife, knee, know, knot, knight.
L is often not pronounced before L.
calf, could, would, should, half, balm, calm, palm salmon, talk, chalk, walk M is silent Mnemonic N is not pronounced following M at the end of a word.
autumn, column, condemn, damn, hymn Indonesian Journal of Education.
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P is not pronounced at the beginning of many words using the suffix "psych" and "pneu".
PS.
P is also silent if a word begins with PN or PT Some common random words with R is silent in British English Pseudoscience, psychiatrist, psychic, psychology.
Pneumonia, pneumatic, pterodactyl Coup, cupboard, raspberry, receipt fork, start, star, teacher fork, start, star, teacher Not in American English S is not pronounced before L in the following words:
aisle, island, isle, bourgeois, debris.
T is silent before Catch, sketch, stitch, watch, witch.
T is silent if a word ends in STEN christen, fasten, listen T is silent if a word ends in STLE castle, hustle, whistle French words that end in ET ballet, buffet, gourmet T is silent in some common random Christmas, mortgage, soften, often U is not pronounced colleague, guard, guess, guest, guide, guitar, (Mukoro Akpomuvir.
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often after G and before a vowel W is always silent if a word begins with wrap, wrinkle, wrist, write, wrong and WHO who, whoever, whole some common random words answer, sword, two Vary rare silent Y prayer, mayor W is pronounced with these three Who, whose.
Whom
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The researcher, throughout those printed-list and stated information about English silent letters above, he finally tries to do some strong and very careful analysis what English silent letters appear.
After conducting the research, it is found out that English silent letters can appear in both either vowels and Vowel English Letters are.
Vowel English silent letter A happen if a word ends in -ically, so the letter A is silent.
Examples:
automatically, basically, chaotically, practically, specifically, surgically Vowel English silent letter E appears when .
E is silent at the end of words and usually makes the vowel long.
Examples: hope, drive, gave, write, site, rope, come.
sometimes the effects of the pronunciation of the previous vowel sounds.
Examples: before, bridge, example, give, have, .
This rule doesnAot apply if E is the only vowel.
Examples: cap y cape, cod y code, hat y hate, quit y quite, sit y site.
E is normally silent in -ed verb ending.
Examples: called, helped, looked, cooked, seemed.
We only pronounce the E if the verb ends in /d/ or /t/.
Examples:
ended, started, included, wanted Vowel English silent I appears when we talk about the business, suitA Vowel English silent letter U appear when U is not pronounced often after G and before a vowel.
Examples: colleague, guard, guess, guest, guide, guitar.
Consonant English silent letters are:
Consonant English silent letter B.
B is not pronounced when following M at the end of a word.
Examples: climb, crumb, dumb, comb, tomb, thumb, bomb, lamb, numb, limb, succumb, tomb, .
When a word ends in MB.
Examples.
climber, plumber, ambiguous.
B is silent before the letter T.
Examples: debt, doubt, subtle.
Consonant English silent Letter C.
C is not pronounced in the ending "scle.
Examples: muscle.
C is silent after an S and before an E or an I.
Examples : descent, fascinate, fluorescent, scene, scent, science, scissor/ Consonant English silent letter D.
D is not pronounced in the following common words.
Examples: handkerchief, wednesday, handsome, sandwich.
D is silent before the letter G.
Examples: badge, bridge, budged, edge, fridge, judge, knowledge.
Consonant English silent letter G.
G is not often pronounced when followed by an N.
Examples: Champagne, campaign, foreign, sign, feign, reign.
G is not sounded if a word begins with GN.
Examples: gnat, gnaw, gnome.
If GN is in the middle a word, most of the time we pronounce the G.
Examples: ignore, magnificent, signature.
Indonesian Journal of Education.
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November, pp.
ISSN: 2723-3693
Consonant English silent letter GH.
GH is not pronounced before T and at the end of many words.
Examples: Thought, through, daughter, light, thought, night, weigh Consonant English silent letter H.
H is not pronounced when following W.
Some speakers whisper the H before the W.
Examples: What, when, where.
H is silent if a word begins with RH.
Examples: Gherkin, ghetto, ghost, rheumatic, rhinoplasty.
Similarly if a word begins with RH.
Examples: rhinoceros, rhythm.
H is not pronounced at the beginning of many words.
Use the article "an" with unvoiced H.
Examples: heir, hour, honest, honor, .
H is normally silent when it begins with WH.
Example: whale, what, when, white, why.
H is also silent after a C.
Examples: chemistry, mechanic, school, stomach, technology Consonant English silent letter K.
K is not pronounced when followed by N at the beginning of a Examples: knife, knee, know, knot, knight.
Consonant English silent letter L.
L is often not pronounced before L.
Examples: calf, could, would, should, half, balm, calm, palm, salmon, talk, chalk, walk.
Consonant English silent letter M.
M is silent.
Examples.
Mnemonic Consonant English silent letter N.
N is not pronounced following M at the end of a word.
Examples:
autumn, column, condemn, damn, hymn Consonant English silent letter P.
P is not pronounced at the beginning of many words using the suffix "psych" and "pneu".
PS.
Examples: Pseudoscience, psychiatrist, psychic, psychology.
P is also silent if a word begins with PN or PT.
Examples: Pneumonia, pneumatic, pterodactyl.
Some common random words with silent P.
Examples: Coup, cupboard, raspberry, receipt Consonant English silent letter R.
R is silent in British English but Not in American English.
Examples: fork, start, star, teacher, fork, start, star, teacher Consonant English silent letter S.
S is not pronounced before L in the following words: Examples:
aisle, island, isle, bourgeois, debris Consonant English silent letter T.
T is silent before CH.
Examples: catch, sketch, stitch, watch, .
T is silent if a word ends in STEN.
Examples: christen, fasten, listen.
T is silent if a word ends in STLE.
Examples: castle, hustle, whistle.
French words that end in ET.
Examples:
ballet, buffet, gourmet.
T is silent in some common random words.
Examples: asthma.
Christmas, mortgage, soften, often Consonant English silent letter U.
U is not pronounced often after G and before a vowel.
Examples:
colleague, guard, guess, guest, guide, guitar Consonant English silent letter W.
W is always silent if a word begins with WR and WHO.
Examples: wrap, wrinkle, wrist, write, wrong, who, whoever, whole.
Some common random Examples: answer, sword, two.
Findings Through out some strong analysis, the findings are as the following.
English silent letters consist of vowel English silent letters and consonant English silent letters.
This research says we have more consonant English silent letters than that of vowel English silent letters.
Every English silent letter has their own rules and regulation.
It merely depends on what vowels or consonants they begin and end.
Leaners have to be extra aware of how to produce those English silent letters.
They may destroy the pronunciation of English silent letters if they do not pay attention and follow those silent words regulations.
CONCLUSION
After conducting the research, the conclusion are.
Silent letters appear in English, both can appear among vowels and consonants.
Those silent letters take place depend very much on what letters they begin and what letters they end up with.
The neighbouring letters can influence whether or not English silent letters happens.
If we do not pay any attention to the standard English pronunciation, especially on the Silent letters, then can destroy the standard pronunciation and make English experts misunderstand about the There is no guarantee that all people can easily understand the meanings of some certain silent letters of words in a particular language.
The researcher believes that those broken pronunciation can drive listeners misunderstand or misinterpret in understanding the truth.
Every language expert agrees that any language .
poken Ae writte.
has rules to follow, not just by pronouncing from one and into another language without caring the language rules itself.
(Mukoro Akpomuvir.
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REFERENCES