AN ANALYSIS OF DIFFICULTIES IN ENGLISH VOWEL PRONUNCIATION FACED BY 10TH GRADERS OF SMA NEGERI 2 KUNINGAN

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the difficulties in English vowel pronunciation faced by tenth-grade students of SMA Negeri 2 Kuningan, particularly in the context of learning English as a foreign language (EFL). The focus of the study is directed at two main aspects, namely the types of vowel pronunciation errors including monophthongs, diphthongs, long-short vowels, and schwa and the factors that influence the occurrence of these errors. Using a qualitative approach based on the theory of Error Analysis (Corder, 1967), data were collected through audio recordings of group presentations, oral transcriptions, and semi-structured interviews conducted in person on November 24, 2025, at 2:00 PM at SMA Negeri 2 Kuningan. The results showed that mispronunciation most often occurred in diphthongs such as /eɪ/, /aɪ/, and /aʊ/, which are often simplified into single vowels according to Indonesian phonological patterns. Errors also occurred in long-short vowels and schwa, which are often replaced with full vowels due to the absence of vowel reduction in the students' mother tongue. From the interview results, it was identified that the main factors of pronunciation errors came from first language interference (Indonesian and Sundanese), reading habits based on spelling, minimal exposure to authentic English, lack of phonetic practice, and affective barriers such as lack of confidence and fear of making mistakes. The findings of this study are expected to help English teachers identify common vowel pronunciation difficulties and develop more targeted pronunciation teaching strategies, especially in EFL classrooms at the senior high school level.