9

CHAPTER II

LITERATURE REVIEW

A. Review of Literature

The review of literature is needed to provide the researcher and the reader

the same understanding about theories and concepts which are being discussed in

the study. Therefore, several theories proposed by experts are written in this

chapter.

1. Teaching English as Foreign Language

In the nature of gaining language, Allah SWT is the first teacher who

teaches the first man (Adam As) language and knowledge. As Allah SWT

mentions in the Qur’an (Al-Baqarah: 31):

            ‫و‬
   
Which means: “And He taught Adam all the names, then presented them to the

angels and said: Give Me the names if you are truthful”1.

It can inferred from the sentence above that the first thing Allah SWT

taught to human is language. This language is the basic knowledge that enables

human to live his/her life. This fact shows that people need to learn language.

Furthermore, Allah SWT explains that learning language is important. Allah SWT

says in the Qur’an (Ibrahim: 4):

1
Abdel Haleem, The Quran: English Translation and Parallel Arabic Text (Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 2010).

9
 10

              

      

The meaning: “We did not send any messenger except in the language of his

people, that he might explain to them plainly. So Allah sends astray whom He

wills, and guides whom He wills. And He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise”2.

It is clear from the verse above that learning language, especially foreign

language is important. Because the messengers of God, people who brought

knowledge from Allah SWT, speak their own language. So, in order to gain those

knowledge, people are required to learn foreign language.

Indonesia considers English still as a foreign language. English is taught to

learners from junior high school until university. Ideas on the nature of language

(language theories) and the learning conditions influence the language teaching

that make students to acquire the language3. English is learned in Indonesia by

talking about the grammatical rules of English and errors are always corrected.

For language learners in Indonesia, where English is not spoken in the society,

accuracy is really the focus in learning English. It is not the case when people

learn English in countries where English is spoken in the society, such as in the

United States or Malaysia. People in those countries emphasize on the ability and

fluency in communications of daily lives. They acquire English because they are

exposed to the language in the society. They are not always aware of the process

2
Ibid.
3
Ag. Bambang Setiyadi, Teaching English as a Foreign Language, Second Edi. (Yogyakarta:
Graha Ilmu, 2020).
 11

of gaining the language. The process of gaining English in Indonesia is regarded

more as ‘learning’ while in Malaysia more as ‘acquisition’.

The purpose of teaching English as a foreign language at school is to teach

students how to use English for communication needs4. Students should be

involved in oral and written communication throughout the whole course of

learning English. Communicative goals are best achieved by giving great attention

to language use and not just usage, to fluency and not just accuracy, to authentic

language and contexts, and not just parallel structures. Teachers are required to

keep every technique that they do as authentic as possible. Teachers need to

prepare the students to be independent learners and manipulators or users of

English out there. Because one day, the students will face the real world which

forces them to be able to communicate in English.

The key to foreign language teaching and learning is grammar, especially

in the form of memorized rules learned by heart and accompanied by various

declensions and conjugations5. The main activity of teaching and learning English

as a foreign language in the class is translation from the target to the source

language and vice versa. Vocabulary items are presented in the forms of bilingual

lists to be memorized. Reading is emphasized, but the reading matter is neither

contemporary nor communicatively useful. Those methods are considered to be

obsolete procedures and materials. Those ways do not encourage students to speak

or to produce the sounds which are mostly needed in the meantime. As the results,

students are not able to communicate in English fluently. They do not know what

4
N. V Fedicheva, Teaching English as a Foreign Language (Ukraine: Ministry of Education
and Science of Ukraine, 2017).
5
Maria Dakowska, Teaching English as a Foreign Language: A Guide for Professionals
(Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN SA, 2015).
 12

to say and how to say the language. Besides, the use of target language

(Indonesian) by the teachers in teaching English in the classroom is considered as

wasting time, because it cannot help the students learn English6. Therefore, this

study is trying to investigate the English teaching and learning in SMK Swasta

Budisatrya Medan. The focus of this study is one of important skills of English

that is pronunciation.

2. Pronunciation Ability

As nonnative speakers, learners in Indonesia, especially in SMKS

Budisatrya never learned precise pronunciation. It is because of in teaching and

learning English as foreign language the materials are non-phonetic language and

it is often found that spelling patterns of English words different from its

pronunciation7. This is why students thought that pronunciation is a difficult skill

to learn. English and Indonesian language do not have same sounds. Therefore, it

is normal that students get frustrated when they learn English pronunciation.

Pronunciation is the way in which the words are formed verbally (using

different speech sounds)8. Pronunciation is the production of significant sound in

two senses9. Firstly, sound is significant because it is used as a part of a code of a

particular language. Secondly, it is significant because sound is used to achieve

meaning in contexts of use. Pronunciation refers to the production of sound that

we use to make meaning. It includes attention to the particular sound of a

6
Davronov Shexroz Abrorovich, “Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language,
Multilingual Setting and Teaching Techniques,” Journal NX-A 07, no. 03 (2021): 73–78.
7
Susan Cameron, Perfecting Your English Pronunciation, 2nd ed. (New York: McGraw-Hill,
2018).
8
Farlex, Complete English Spelling & Pronunciation Rules, Third Edit. (USA: Farlex
International, 2017).
9
E Dalton, Teaching Pronunciation (London: Longman Group Ltd, 2010).
 13

language (segments), aspects of speech beyond the level of the individual sound,

such as intonation, phrasing, stress, timing, rhythm (supra-segmental aspects),

how the voices projected (voice quality) and in its broadest definition, attention to

gestures and expressions that are closely related to the way we speak a language10.

Pronunciation is form of elementary symbols of language, the segmental

phonemes or speech sounds, appear and are arranged in patterns of pitch,

loudness, and duration11. Pronunciation is one of the most important features of

language instruction and it is also considered as a necessary component of

communicative competence. Learners with good communication skills are likely

to be understood even though they make errors in other areas, whereas learners

with bad pronunciation will not be understood, even if their grammar is perfect 12.

This statement infers that one of the language components that shows the level of

communication skill is pronunciation.

English pronunciation has various aspects which necessarily to be

mastered. Those various aspects are13:

1. Vowel sounds: the vowel sounds in English pronunciation consists of:

a. Monophthongs which means standard vowel sounds.

b. Diphthongs which means two vowel sounds that glide together in a

single syllable.

c. Triphthongs which means three vowel sounds that glide together in a

single syllable.

10
David Nunan, Practical English Language Learning and Teaching (New York: McGraw-
Hill, 2013).
11
Hussein Mahmood, “The Importance of Pronunciation in English Language Teaching,”
Salahuddin University 01, no. 03 (2021): 1–19.
12
Prashant, “Importance of Pronunciation in English Language Communication.”
13
Farlex, Complete English Spelling & Pronunciation Rules.
 14

2. Consonant sounds, the tricky part of consonant sounds in English

pronunciation is on how to form the /k/ sound, the /z/ sound, and the /ᶾ/

sound (the G sound beige), as well as the various ways of pronouncing the

letter S.

3. Silent letters, English pronunciation has some silent letters and the most

ubiquitous of these is silent E, which has a variety of different functions

depending on the letters around it in a word, but U can also be silent, as

can many different consonants.

4. Syllable, syllable is a unit of speech that is interpreted as a single sound.

5. Word stress, word stress dictates which syllable within a word will receive

the most vocal emphasis in speech.

6. Sentence stress, governs which words in a sentence receive more emphasis

than others.

According to Mucia, there are four basic components of English

pronunciation14. They are:

1. Intonation: intonation is rise and fall of voice in speaking. It refers to the

way the voice goes up and down in pitch when someone is speaking.

2. Stress: stress is where the emphasis is placed in words and sentences.

3. Vowels: vowels are sound in spoken language that is characterized by an

open configuration of the vocal tract so that there is no build-up of air

pressure above the glottis.

4. Consonant: consonant is sound which formed by interrupting, restricting

or diverting the air flow in a variety of ways.

14
Celce Murcia, Teaching Pronunciation (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2011).
 15

Someone (language user) is categorized as having good ability in English

pronunciation when he/she can master all of those aspects and they can pronounce

words or sentence in similar way of the native speakers pronounce them. The

educational curriculum in SMKS Budisatrya does not provide sufficient time for

teachers to teach pronunciation. As the results, the creativity of teachers are

required to insert the pronunciation teaching in certain topic of lessons. Therefore,

the pronunciation ability of students should be developed through their learning

habit.

3. Learning Habit

Habit is commonly known as an action performed repeatedly on a regular

basis and automatically, usually without awareness. Habit is also defined as

automatic routine behavior that is repeated regularly without thinking 15. When

learners repeat their past behavior and it becomes a psychological disposition, that

repeated action can be categorized as a habit16. In short, it can be inferred that

habit is a repeated action which performed regularly, automatically, without

thinking or awareness and the action becomes behavior.

Learning habit is an action like reading, taking notes, conducting study

groups, listening, singing that learners perform frequently, and regularly and

automatically without thinking17. Learning habit is considered to be the core of

academic success. It means that when the learning activities are performed

regularly and frequently by the students, the learning objectives will be easier to

15
Wati, “Correlation Between Students’ Listening English Song Habit and Students’ Listening
Comprehension.”
16
Wendy Wood and Dennis Runger, Psychology of Habit (California: Reviews in Advance,
2015).
17
Tus et al., “The Learner’s Study Habits and Its Relation on Their Academic Performance.”
 16

achieve. The success or failure of each student depends on their learning habits.

Good learning habits such as doing homework, actively participating in class,

managing time, staying focused, and working hard showed a significant and

positive correlation on students’ academic performance. Thus, developing good

learning habit is important. Without developing good learning habits, students will

get difficulties in achieving the learning goals18.

An action can be classified as a habit if the action is performed

automatically and done on a regular basis19. There is not clear explanation of the

length of time it takes to declare an activity is a habit. It depends on the

individuals20. So, it can be stated that if an action related to learning activities is

performed by learners repeatedly and on regular basis, it is a learning habit. This

present study focuses on singing English song as a learning habit.

4. Habit in Singing English Song

Singing English song is defined as the act of using the voice to produce

musical sounds which has English as the medium. In this present research, habit

in singing English song is defined as an action of producing musical sounds which

in form of English that performed by students frequently, repeatedly on regular

basis, There are three indicators of the habit in singing English song21. They are:

18
U Ebele and P Olofu, “Study Habit and Its Impact on Secondary School Students’ Academic
Performance in Biology in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja,” Journal of Educational Research
and Reviews 12, no. 10 (2017): 583–588.
19
Benjamin Gardner, “A Review and Analysis of the Use of ‘Habit’ in Understanding,
Predicting and Influencing Health-Related Behaviour,” Health Psychology Review 09, no. 03
(2015): 277–295.
20
Martin S Hagger, “Habit and Physical Activity: Theoretical Advances, Practical
Implications, and Agenda for Future Research,” Psychology of Sport and Exercise 10, no. 42
(2019): 118–129.
21
Ludke, Ferreira, and Overy, “Singing Can Facilitate Foreign Language Learning.”
 17

1. Repetitive action: singing English song can be classified as a learning

habit if the students perform the activity repeatedly and without thinking

consciously.

2. Attention: habit in singing English song requires attention to the lyrics,

words, melody, rhythm and even the tone.

3. Getting the meaning: singing English song can be classified as a habit if

the students perform activity of getting the meaning from the lyrics of the

song.

Singing English song can facilitate the language learning especially in

improving pronunciation ability22. Singing is more effective as a learning

condition than either speaking or rhythmic speaking when students are required to

recall and reproduce a list of short paired-associate English phrases. Singing is

believed can support the verbal learning and memory improvement because there

is a melody, and music. Singing English song is also believed be able to

encourage students to pronounce English words well since they can imitate and

remember the language easier through the song23. Furthermore, the song can

provide fun learning condition for students so that they are willing to learn as

much as they can.

Singing English song also encourages students to learn and practice

pronouncing the words in the lyric spontaneously24. The song has natural

opportunity for meaningful repetition. When teachers ask the students to listen the

song, they sing the song spontaneously. Moreover, if the song which is played is

22
Ibid.
23
Manik, “Improving Students’ Pronunciation Mastery by Using English Songs.”
24
Khoiriyah Shofiyah Tanjung, “The Effect of Popular English Song and English Movie on
Students’ Pronunciation at MTsN 3 Jakarta,” Jurnal As-Salam 01, no. 01 (2018): 134–142.
 18

popular or familiar to the students, they will pronounce the words confidently.

This helps them developing their pronunciation ability. Therefore, this present

study is aimed at investigating the correlation between habit in singing English

song and pronunciation ability of the students.

B. Related Study

Related study is needed to broaden the discussion of the topic being

studied in this present research. There are some previous studies included in this

present study. They are:

1. The first related study entitled “Correlation Between Students’ Learning

Habit in Listening English Song and Their Pronunciation Capacity” which

conducted by Upa, Ola, & Wahyono25. This research was aimed at finding

whether or not students’ habit listening to English song and their

pronunciation capacity have correlation. This research is conducted by

using quantitative approach. The result showed that students’ habit of

listening to English song and their pronunciation capacity have correlation.

The finding implies that students were able to develop their listening skills

through listening to English songs. This would lead the improvement of

students’ pronunciation capacity.

2. The second study was “Correlation Between Students’ Listening English

Song Habit and Students’ Listening Comprehension” which conducted by

Wati26. The goal of this research was to find out the frequency of listening

25
Upa, Ola, and Wahyono, “Correlation Between Students’ Learning Habit in Listening
English Song and Their Pronunciation Capacity.”
26
Wati, “Correlation Between Students’ Listening English Song Habit and Students’ Listening
Comprehension.”
 19

English songs in students’ listening comprehension and to investigate

whether there is significant correlation between students’ listening English

song habit and their listening comprehension. This research used

correlational method as the research approach. The result showed that

there was significant correlation between students’ listening English songs

habit and students’ listening comprehension. Habit in listening English

song can be a practice for students, they would feel familiar of the new

words or vocabularies, pronounce the words well and slowly they would

understand the meaning of words in the song.

3. The third related study is “The Correlation between Students’ Ability in

Listening to the English Songs and Their Vocabulary Mastery” which

conducted by Sari, Nuhung & Hastini27. The objective of this research was

to find out the correlation between students’ ability in listening to the

English songs, and their vocabulary mastery. This research used

quantitative approach. The result showed that there was no significant

correlation between students’ ability in listening to English song and their

vocabulary mastery. This means that the ability in listening English song

did not support the vocabulary mastery of the students.

4. The fourth study is conducted by Gilakjani & Rahimy which entitled

“Using Computer-Assisted Pronunciation Teaching (CAPT) in English

pronunciation Instruction: A Study on the Impact and the Teacher’s

27
Jiati Endah Sari, Nuhung B, and Hastini, “The Correlation Between Students’ Ability in
Listening to the English Songs and Their Vocabulary Mastery,” E-Journal of English Language
Teaching Society (ELTS) 01, no. 01 (2018): 1–14.
 20

Role”28. This study was aimed at investigating the teacher’s role in using

CAPT in teaching pronunciation. The qualitative method was used as the

way of analyzing the data. The result showed that the CAPT provided

appropriate teaching resource for teachers and their teaching needs. This

app also changed teacher’s role from a dispenser of information to a

facilitator of information. The use of CAPT showed significant

pronunciation improvement of students. The findings of this research

implied that the teaching of pronunciation can be done by using computer

software which would help the teacher in teaching pronunciation.

5. The fifth research was conducted by Farmand & Pourgharib which entitled

“The Effect of English Songs on English Learners Pronunciation”29. This

study was intended to explore whether the use of English songs can

increase students’ motivation on learning English and improve the EFL

(English as Foreign Language) learner’s pronunciation. This study used

experimental method as the approach. The result showed that the use of

English songs had impact on language learner’s pronunciation, and it

improved their oral production.

6. The sixth related study is “The Effect of Popular English Song and English

Movie on Students’ Pronunciation at MTsN 3 Jakarta” which conducted

by Tanjung30. This study was intended to discover whether the English

popular songs and movies were an effective media in enhancing and

28
Abbas Pourhosein Gilakjani and Ramin Rahimy, “Using Computer-Assisted Pronunciation
Teaching (CAPT) in English Pronunciation Instruction: A Study on the Impact and the Teacher’s
Role,” Education and Information Technology 06, no. 09 (2019): 1–31.
29
Farmand and Pourgharib, “The Effect of English Songs on English Learners Pronunciation.”
30
Tanjung, “The Effect of Popular English Song and English Movie on Students’
Pronunciation at MTsN 3 Jakarta.”
 21

improving students’ pronunciation. This research belonged to

experimental study. The result showed that students who have listened and

watched popular English songs and English movies in their class showing

progress in pronunciation. This implied that the popular English song and

English movie were effective in improving students’ pronunciation. The

popular English songs showed better result than the English movies.

7. The seventh related study was “Improving Students’ Pronunciation

Mastery by Using English Songs” which conducted by Manik 31. This

study had an objective to find out whether English songs can improve

students’ pronunciation mastery. This research was classified as action

research. The result showed that songs can improve students’

pronunciation mastery. The finding of this research explained that English

songs were one of the suitable medias in teaching pronunciation because

the songs created fun learning environment, and encouraged students to

remember the sound and imitate the native speaker (singers) in

pronouncing the words in the songs.

Those previous studies infer that habit in singing English song and the

pronunciation ability have correlation. It means that by developing students’

learning habit in singing English song, their pronunciation ability can be

enhanced. It is since the English songs provide enjoyable learning condition

which make students feel happy in learning. The English song also encourages the

students to practice pronouncing the words in the lyric by imitating the way of

singers pronounce the words. However, the findings of those related studies are

31
Manik, “Improving Students’ Pronunciation Mastery by Using English Songs.”
 22

still needed to be proven. Since the similar research has not been done in SMKS

Budisatrya, this present study becomes important to be conducted.

C. Conceptual Framework

Students of SMKS Budisatrya as Vocational High School students should

be taught differently from general English. Vocational high school students are

required to be taught all four language skills namely listening, speaking, reading,

writing and relate them to the study program chosen by students. Teaching and

learning process in VHS should be able to support the students to achieve better

performance in the real working environment. This better performance can be

achieved when the students have better communication skill. One of the criterias

that classify students have better communication skill is pronunciation ability.

Pronunciation is one of the most important features of language instruction

and it is also considered as a necessary component of communicative competence.

Learners with good communication skills are likely to be understood even though

they make errors in other areas, whereas learners with bad pronunciation will not

be understood, even if their grammar is perfect. Therefore, pronunciation is

needed to be taught in school. Pronunciation ability of the students can be

improved by good learning habits. Learning habit is known as learning activities

which performed repeatedly on regular basis and automatically, usually without

awareness.

One of good learning habits is singing English song. There have been

many relevant studies which explained that the use of English songs can improve

the pronunciation ability of students. By singing English song, students will

 23

experience repetitive action in pronouncing the words, paying attention to the way

the singers pronounce the words, and getting the meaning from the lyric of the

song. Singing English song is considered to be more effective to build enjoyable

learning environment. Students will recall and reproduce a list of short paired-

associate English phrases through the English song which enables them to imitate

and remember the language easier.

This present study tries to investigate the correlation between habit in

singing English song and pronunciation ability of the students at SMKS

Budisatrya Medan. The conceptual framework of this study can be drawn as

follow:

Habit in Singing English

Pronunciation Ability
Song

Figure 2.1 The Conceptual Framework.

D. Hypothesis

In line with the literature review, the related study and the conceptual

framework which have been explained, the hypothesis of this study is:

Ha: There is correlation between habit in singing English song and pronunciation

ability of students at SMKS Budisatrya.

Ho: There is no correlation between habit in singing English song and

pronunciation ability of students at SMKS Budisatrya.