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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A. The Background of the Problem

The existence of language will always be followed by the existence of

human beings. On the contrary, the existence of human beings will always be

followed by the existence of language. In other words, language and human beings

are supposed to be unity which one another cannot be separated just like body and

soul. Only with a language human beings can communicate one another because

language is the only instrument for them to communicate. Without the existence of

language, human beings will be nothing at all it is the same as the other creatures,

say, animals.

The writer is of the opinion that language is sound or a sequence of sounds

which have meanings produced by the organs of speech as an instrument of

communication to express someone’s ideas, thoughts, and feelings to someone else.

So, sounds which do not have meanings are not a language because it cannot be

understood, just like the sounds produced by dogs, cats, tigers, and so many others

not to mention here. It is important for anyone who learns a language especially, the

students to understand the definition of a language so that they will be able to use a

language as well as possible.

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According to Compact Dictionary of Canadian English (1976:

382), language is 1. All of the systems by which human
beings combine sounds into meaningful units, such as
words, to convey ides and feelings, 2. Any such system
that is or has been used by a group of people; the French
language, 3. The words, phrases, etc. peculiar to special
field of knowledge or activity; terminology: technical
language, 4. Any way or means of communicating the
language of animals, 5. Any style of verbal expression;
diction; simple language.

According to Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia (1990: 66),

bahasa adalah 1. sistem lambang bunyi berartikulasi
(yang dihailkan alat-alat ucap) yang bersifat sewenang-
wenang dan konvensional yang dipakai sebagai alat
komunikasi; untuk melahirkan perasaan dan pikiran; 2.
Perkataan-perkataan yang dipakai oleh suatu bangsa
(suku bangsa, Negara, daerah, dsb).

1. System of articulated sound symbols (produced by the

organs of speech) which is arbitrary and conventional
used as an instrument of communication to express
feelings and thought ; 2. The words which are used by a
nation (ethnic group, country, region, etc).

Devito (1970: 7) defines that “languages is as a potentially self-reflection,

structured system of symbols which catalog the objects, events, and relations in the

world”. Sapir (1921: 7) defines that “language is a purely human and noninstinctive

method of communicating ideas, emotions, and desires by means of a system of

voluntarily produced symbols”. Hughes (1962: 6) defines that “language is a system

of arbitrary vocal symbols by which thought is conveyed from one human being to

another”. Bram (1955: 2) defines that “language is a structured system of arbitrary

vocal symbols by means of which members of a social group interact”.

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Based on the definitions above, it is absolutely known that language is a

system of arbitrary and conventional vocal symbols produced by the organs of speech

and used as an instrument of communication to express ideas, feelings, and thoughts

which catalog the objects, events, and relations by means of which members of a

social group interact.

Language will always indicate the language users as an instrument of

communication between or among them. For example, Dutch is a language used by

people who live in Netherlands. French is a language used by people who live in

France. German is a language used by people who live in Germany and so may others

not to mention here. However, there is a language used by some nations that is,

English. English is used by people who live in England, Canada, The United States,

Australia, and New Zealand. This is supposed to be a strangeness that there is a

language used by some nations or countries. Naturally, every region moreover

country has its own language in which one another is absolutely different seen from

the point of pronouncing the words or seen from the point of the rules of language.

In communication, it is very impossible for the people to use two languages

or a different language. Such a communication will not be understood by one another.

They have to use the same language or one language so that the communication can

be understood. The nation of non-English native speakers all over the world who

have different cultures and languages do not get difficulties in communication

because they have committed to use English as the only instrument of communication

for them. Because of it, English is known as the international language or a world
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language. And this thing which becomes the reason for the nations of non-English

native speakers to study English is for the interest of international communication.

There is almost no country just like Indonesia all over the world. The

Indonesian nation has to be proud to have a country like this which have been

struggled for 350 years to get its independence from the colonization of the

Netherlands. Indonesia is supposed to be a country of archipelago which consist of

big and small islands and various kinds of ethnic groups which one another has a

different culture and ethnic language. For example, the people who live in Java Island

are the ethnic group of Java and Sunda who have Javanese and Sudanese. As a matter

of fact, in this big island there are the other ethnic groups which also have their own

ethnic languages living in Java Island because of job, business, study, and so forth.

The people who live in Bali Island namely, the ethnic group of Bali has Balinese.

And people who live whether in big islands or in the small islands have their own

native languages.

The people or ethnic groups of Indonesia do not find difficulties either in

communication because they have committed to use Indonesian as an instrument of

National communication. Actuality, the commitment of using Indonesian has been

declared in the youth pledge that is, on October 28 th 1928 it was exactly seventeen

year before the independence proclamation of the youth pledge are:

1. We sons and daughters of Indonesia acknowledge that we have one nation. The

nation of Indonesia.
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2. We sons and daughters of Indonesia acknowledge that we have one language.

The language of Indonesia.

3. We sons and daughters of Indonesia acknowledge that we have one fatherland.

The fatherland of Indonesia.

As a social creature human beings cannot live alone. They need to

communicate with the other fellow human beings. Therefore, communication

between or among human beings is supposed to be a basic need of human beings’

lives themselves besides the other need of lives just like foods, clothes, houses and so

forth. For Muslims, communication between or among human beings is not only a

basic need of lives but also supposed to be command of God (Al-Hujurat: 13) reveals

Oh! Mankind “we created you is well acquainted (with all

from one single (pair) of a things)
male and a female, and made
you into Nations and tribes,   
that ye may know each other   
(not that ye may despise (each  
other). Verily the most  
honoured of you in the sight   
of Allah is (he who is) the
  
   
most Righteous of you. And   
Allah has full knowledge and
Based on the verse above, it is absolutely known that human beings are

created of nations and ethnic groups in which the real purpose is in order that human

beings know one another. Human beings who are noble among the other human

beings in the sight of God is those who are righteous God knows everything about

human beings.
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When observing all of activities done by people wherever they are from

palace building until underneath of bridge is the activity of speaking. People from

waking up until going bed even in a sleep (dream) they absolutely speak. It means

that from the four language skill namely, listening, speaking, reading, and writing,

speaking is one language skill that is the most dominant. The most ridiculous thing is

if there are people speak with animals although the animals understand the people’s

speaking but the animals absolutely will not be able to speak.

Fromkin and Rodman (1983: 3) declare that whatever else

people may do when they come together whether they
play, fight, make love, or make automobiles – they talk.
We live in a world of words. We talk to our friends, our
associates, our wives, and husbands, our lovers, our
teachers, our parents and in-laws. We talk to bus drivers
and total strangers. We talk face to face and over the
telephone. And everyone response with more talk.
Television and radio further swell this torrent of words.
As a result, hardly a moment of our waking lives is free
from words, and even in our dreams we talk and talked
to. We also talk when there is no one answers. Some of
us talk aloud in our sleep. We talk to our pets and
sometimes to ourselves. And we are the only animals
that do this – that talk.

Based on the declaration above, it is absolutely known that people talk in

any condition and any place. They live in a world of words. They talk at home, at

school, in the market, on the train, and so forth. They talk to face and over the

telephone. Television and radio relay their program in words. They hardly a moment

of their waking lives are free from words. And even in a sleep (dream) they

absolutely talk. They talk to their pets and sometimes to themselves.

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Honestly speaking, it is supposed to be a pride for the students who

generally learn three languages as a school subject besides the other subjects namely,

ethnic language, Indonesian, and English. So, truly speaking English as a foreign

language is similar to ethnic language and Indonesian. The three languages

especially, English is absolutely very different whether seen from the point of way of

pronouncing the words (pronunciation) or seen from the point of the rules of a

language (grammar). Learning a language from ethnic language to national language

(Indonesian) is not too difficult because both of these languages are available in a

community as an instrument of communication between or among people. But, in

other hand learning English is a different thing because this language is not available

in a community. In other words, the community does not support the process of

teaching and learning English at school.

To be able to speak English well is not an easy thing. It needs an intensive

and efficient practice that takes a long and regular time. This thing is because the way

of pronouncing the words in English is very much different from the way of

pronouncing the words of Indonesian or the other ethnic languages. Even there are

some people or students that cannot pronounce some words of English at all.

Honestly speaking, teaching speaking will refer to the teacher himself / herself of his

own or her own ability in speaking. On the other hand, only mastering pronouncing

the proper words and knowing the meaning is not enough yet to help people or the

students in speaking. They still have to study the rules of language (grammar) in
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order that they are able to organize the sounds correctly and has meaning to express

their ideas, thoughts, and feelings to others.

The writer can predict that speaking competence of the second grade

students of SMK Veteran Cirebon can be considered as “bad”. This thing is because

firstly there is no special process of teaching and learning speaking and secondly the

students are not being used to speaking English. The only best way to be able to

speak is getting used to speaking in any event of language with the proper and fluent

sound. The students’ incompetent of speaking and pronouncing the proper words are

supposed to be their learning difficulties and becoming the problem in the process of

teaching and learning English at class. The wrong pronouncing will change the

meaning of the word or the word does not have meaning at all. This thing is

becoming the writer’s interest to do research at this school and supposed to be the

reason for giving the title of the thesis namely. “THE INFLUENCE OF THE

STUDENTS’ PRONUNCIATION COMPETENCE ON THEIR SPEAKING

COMPETENCE AT THE SECOND CLASS OF SMK VETERAN CIREBON”.

B. The Identification of the Problem

The identification of the problem in writing this thesis is as follows:

1. The field of the research

The field of the research in writing this thesis is speaking. Speaking is one

language skill that is the most dominant because wherever people live they absolutely

speak. The question is speaking by using English. Almost all students who learn
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English at schools can be said that their competence in using English is bad or they

cannot speak at all. The students’ incompetence to speak English attracts the writer’s

interest to discuss and tries to help the students’ competence to speak English.

2. The Main Problem

Everyone or student will absolutely speak all along his / her life. Speaking

means to produce sounds or utterances which have meanings produced by the organs

of speech to express his / her ideas, thoughts, and feelings to others. Speaking by

using his own / her own native language (Indonesian) will certainly not find the

problem because he / she knows and is able to produce the sounds or utterances. The

problem is if he / she has to speak English. He / she absolutely will produce the

improper sounds and utterances so that those sounds will be unmeaningful or it is

difficult to be understood. These improper sounds or utterances are becoming the

main students learning difficulties or the problem in writing this thesis.

C. The Limitation of the Problem

One thing that should be known is learning supposed to be a risk. Learning a

foreign language, say, English is a risk too. It means that students certainly have to be

brave to take a risk when learning English such as, making many mistakes in using

English that they learn whether in writing especially, in oral. English is difficult to be

learnt because there are many words (vocabulary) and the rules of language

(grammar) which are very confusing them. The only way to reduce the confusion of

the students is by concentrating on the process of teaching and learning at certain

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teaching material and by diagnosing the mistakes which are made by students in any

form.

In this case, the writer only concentrates on the discussion about the

students’ utterances when speaking especially, in the process of teaching and learning

English at the class. The students’ utterances which are improper have to be revised

soon by way of imitating the students’ utterances which are improper. And this is

supposed to be the limitation of the problem in the process of teaching and learning or

writing this thesis besides the efforts to help the students’ competence in speaking.

D. The Framework of Thinking

Honestly speaking, the success and the failure in the process of teaching and

learning will be started by a competent and responsible teacher. Learning English is

not an easy thing and it absolutely consumes a very long and regular time. An English

teacher can be categorized as being competent if he or she is able to use English

appropriately and accurately. Not all English teachers are competent in using English.

They can only teach or convey the materials to their students in the process teaching

and learning. This such a learning situation will not produce the students’ abilities for

using English as its own function namely, the tool of communication.

English is absolutely very different from Indonesian or the other ethnic

languages whether seen from the point of the way of pronouncing and writing the

words (pronunciation / spelling) or seen from the point of the rules of language

(grammar). Both of these languages are supposed to be an absolute requirement for

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the students to be able to communicate by using English although in the form of

simple expressions and simple sentences. In oral language communication the proper

utterances very important role play in order that listeners really understand what it

means by the speaker. The improper utterances will result in misunderstanding in

communication or it can be the utterances do not have meanings at all. Actually, it

can be said there are no rules to learn the proper utterances. The proper utterances can

be said as arbitrary, however there are directions just for becoming the guides about

the proper utterances.

The only way to learn the proper utterances is always by looking up at the

dictionary to find out the proper utterances, the kinds of words on the utterances and

the use of words in a sentence. Each improper utterance in the form of conversation

of the use of oral language should always be revised by way of imitating the improper

utterances then revise the improper utterances. In short, the utterances should always

be proper, whether in the form of utterance itself, or in the form of a combination of

utterances in phrases and sentences. The activity of speaking, people will use the

words, phrases, and sentences. All of them should be in the form of utterances in

order that it will not cause misunderstanding or confusion for the listeners.

E. The Questions of the Research

The questions of the research in writing this thesis are as follows:

1. How is the students’ competence to pronounce English words?

2. How is the students’ competence to speak English?

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3. Is there any positive or significant influence of the students’ pronunciation

competence on their speaking competence in English?

F. The Aims of the Research

The aims of the research in writing this thesis are as follows:

1. To find out the students’ competence to pronounce English words.

2. To find out the students’ competence to speak English.

3. To find out if there is positive or significant influence of the students’

pronunciation competence on their speaking competence in English.

G. The Usefulness of the Thesis

The usefulness of the thesis is expected in order that:

1. It can help the students to motivate and improve their ability in speaking English

fluently and accurately. So that there is no misunderstanding in communication.

2. It can give perspectives to the teacher to pay more attention when interacting

with his students in the process of teaching and learning English as a medium.

3. It can give information for the other people or students who would like to do

research. So that it can be made consideration.