ALLOPHONIC PRONUNCIATION VARIETIES AMONG THE STUDENTS OF JOSE RIZAL MEMORIAL STATE UNIVERSITY

This study investigated the allophonic pronunciation varieties among students of Jose Rizal Memorial State University, Dapitan City, with particular emphasis on the factors influencing their pronunciation skills and the development of a speech improvement program for second language learners. Employing a descriptive-normative survey design, the researcher utilized simple random sampling within a cluster framework drawn from the seven colleges of the university. Data collection involved observation and survey instruments administered to selected students.The findings revealed four major categories of allophonic pronunciation variation: vowel sound mispronunciations; semivowel and diphthongal sound mispronunciations; consonantal sound mispronunciations; and mispronunciations of words with irregular orthographies. Contributing factors identified include sex, family background (particularly the medium of oral communication), academic course, limited exposure to pronunciation drills and speech models, difficulty in acquiring accurate English phonemes, negative attitudes toward the English language, lack of proficient pronunciation models, insufficient faculty training, and inadequate instructional facilities. In light of these findings, the study recommends addressing these influencing factors through the implementation of a comprehensive, intensive, and curriculum-integrated pronunciation enhancement program tailored to the needs of English language learners.