Perception of English Consonant Clusters by Ethiopian EFL Learners Speaking Amharic as First Language

Abstract

The study examined the perception of Amharic speaking Ethiopian learners of English while they listen to English words with consonant cluster. Five English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners speaking Amharicas first language participated in the study by completing a forced dictation task in which audio recordedspeeches of target words by English native speakers were presented for transcription. Both quantitative andqualitative methods of data analysis were employed before findings were drawn. The result showed thatmost of the transcriptions the learners provided in response to the stimuli they heard were found to besemantically different with the original ones. The study verified that the learners experience perceptionproblems of consonant clusters of all kinds at all positions both at word and phrase levels. The problemhowever is more acute when the clusters are composed of those sounds like interdental fricatives which arelacking in the learners mother tongue. On the other hand, three and above consonant clusters particularlywhen presented across words in connected speeches are found to be critical for the learners to correctlyperceive and therefore to comprehend. Based on the findings, recommendations are forwarded to makelearners familiar to English consonant clusters so that learners will improve comprehension abilities.