Investigating Iraqi EFL Learners’ Production of English Gliding Vowels

Learning a foreign language includes the development of various linguistic subsystems, involving phonology, morphology, syntax and semantics. This study aims to examine the production of English gliding vowels among Iraqi EFL learners, with a special emphasis on the role of first language (L1) transfer. Gliding vowels, such as diphthongs and triphthongs, present significant phonological challenges for learners whose L1 lacks equivalent structures. Despite the importance of gliding vowels, limited research has investigated how Iraqi learners produce them. To achieve this, thirty Iraqi learners from the University of Anbar, College of Education for Women, English language department. To exclude the potential effects of gender and age factors, all participants were females and ranged in age from 19 to 25. A list of 107 target words with gliding vowels were utilized to evaluate learners’ production. The production test was used to identify learners’ pronunciation abilities. Overall, the production test findings showed a large proportion of learners struggled to produce English gliding vowels correctly. Results showed that gliding vowels like /ʊə/, /ɪə/, and /aɪə/ were the most difficult to produce, whereas diphthongs like /eɪ/ and /aɪ/ were more accurately produced. This study concludes that L1 has a major role in these difficulties. It recommends explicit articulation instruction to develop EFL pronunciation teaching.