| Unlike English, Japanese does not stress syllables, reduce vowel sounds, or end with consonants (except /n/). The present study investigated the influence of Japanese speakers' first language interference, relatable to those characteristics of Japanese, on their pronunciation of English, and the effects of form-focused instructions on (1) reduction of unstressed vowels, (2) stress placement, and (3) production of final consonant sounds. Ten advanced adult Japanese learners of English were divided into 2 groups: the experimental group, which received training for 30 minutes twice a week for 6 weeks, and the control group, which did not receive any treatment. Both groups took the pre- and the post-test, which were evaluated by 5 raters according to different tasks and skills. The results showed that the experimental group made greater progress than the control group at the post-test, not only in those 3 areas, but also in overall pronunciation. |
