A Gender-Based Acoustic Analysis of Vowels of Hindko Speakers in Learning English Pronunciation

Abstract

Foreigner learners often face difficulties in English pronunciation at segmental level. Among other factors influencing vowel articulation negatively, there has been a limited focus on gender studies in Pakistani regional languages such as Hindko or Punjabi. The present study explores gender-based acoustic differences in the English vowels pronunciation by Hindko speakers. By employing a quantitative cross-sectional design, the study analyzed speech data collected from twenty Hindko-speakers of English language learners. This sample contained ten male and ten female participants from the Mansehra district. The study examined eight monophthongs produced in the (hVd) pattern, analyzed the vowel quality and phonetic vowel space used by both genders. The researcher elicited Speech sample using a controlled method (CVC) word list adapted by Adebayo (2023) from Peterson and Barney (1952). All recordings were made in a quiet environment which were analyzed using PRAAT to extract acoustic measures, such as; frequencies (F1 and F2), vowel duration, and intensity. The results showed systematic gender-based differences in vowel pronunciation. Female speakers articulated vowels with higher F1 and F2 values and a more dispersed vowel space. They also shown slightly higher intensity levels in their articulation. On the other hand, male speakers exhibited lower formant frequencies, with vowel centralization, and having longer vowel durations in their speech. The findings indicate that gender possesses an important role in the acoustic analysis of English vowels at regional level. These differences replicate articulatory variation rather than disparities in linguistic competence of non native speakers. The study highlights the significance of gender as a meaningful variable in acoustic analyses of EFL vowel pronunciation.  It may contribute to the emerging research on Pakistani English and regional language influence on learning English as a foreign language.