An Investigation of the Influence of the “Interference” Phenomenon on the Learning of Correct Pronunciation of German in Iranian Basic Level Language Learners

The lexicon of a language, together with its grammar, constitute the foundation of that language. Meanwhile, the pronunciation and the particular accent to each language also play a significant role in shaping their unique structure. Pronunciation and accent are usually the first indicator of whether a speaker belongs to the native speaker community of the language. Frequent incorrect pronunciations or unusual accents can obstruct the conveyance of what is intended and extremely impact the success of the communication. The interfering effect of pronunciation patterns that are common to one’s mother tongue is one of the most important factors affecting the quality of pronunciation of a foreign language. Acquiring the correct pronunciation thus requires familiarity with the phonetics and phonology of one’s mother tongue as well as that of the foreign language particularly in contrast to each other, so that the situations which cause interference in the phonetic structure of the foreign language are understood better and consciously considered when pronouncing the phones and words of the foreign language.