Error Analysis as a Remedy for Pronunciation Problems: The Case of Tanzanian Students Learning French

Abstract

Following the Error Analysis approach, the present work investigates the difficulties that a number of Tanzanian students are faced with in learning French. On the basis of a few research tools, it depicts the most common errors they make in the pronunciation of this language: the uvular fricative [R]; the front rounded vowels [y], [oe], [ø], and [ə]; the nasal vowels [ɔ̃], [oẽ],[ɛ]̃ and the silent letters. The occurrence of these errors can be explained by the complexity of the French sound system, but also by the influence of the languages they speak, Swahili and English. Focusing on the observed errors during the teaching and the syllabus design process may solve the Tanzanian students’ pronunciation problems.