This study focuses on the way Spanish ESL speakers pronunce the English phonemes /v/ and /w/. It parts from the hypothesis that the issue starts with language interference from the speakers’ mother...Show moreThis study focuses on the way Spanish ESL speakers pronunce the English phonemes /v/ and /w/. It parts from the hypothesis that the issue starts with language interference from the speakers’ mother tongue (Ellis, 2008). In order to find whether the mispronunciation comes from the mother tongue, the two phonetic systems of English and Spanish were analysed in relation to /v/ and /w/. By doing so, the results showed some overlap between both language systems and possible language transfer. Consequently, the speech of five participants was analysed through two tasks to see whether the theory matched the practice. This research concludes with the statement that indeed there is language transfer at stake, in addition to possible overgeneralization of English rules. These results show the relevance for English teachers of ESL students to spend more time and give more attention to raising awareness of the manner of pronunciation of these phonemes. This can be done by showing the different environments the phonemes can be found and how they can be realized respectively.Show less
