Contraintes liées à la reálisation du son [o] en classe de fle le cas des apprenants d’Akatsi shts

Abstract

This research focuses on investigating the challenges faced by French learners in Akatsi Senior High Technical School, specifically those in the second year, concerning the pronunciation of the /o/ sound in words containing the letters "o," "ô," "au," and "eau" in French. The study identifies various difficulties related to the learners' ability to recognize these graphemes as representing the /o/ sound. Through the implementation of questionnaires and reading aloud tests, it was revealed that students in Akatsi Senior High School, Form 2, encounter obstacles in accurately producing the /o/ sound in words featuring "o, ô, au, eau" in French. Additionally, learners tended to confuse the /o/ phoneme with the /ↄ/ phoneme when reading passages with the simple grapheme 'o.' The analysis of the gathered data indicates that learners' challenges in pronouncing the /o/ sound correctly through French graphemes stem from the inherent complexity of the French language and their prior knowledge of English and local languages, particularly the dominant Ewe language in their community. Data collection instruments included questionnaires and tests (pretest and posttest), with the pretest involving a passage containing the /o/ sound. Phonograms such as "o," "ô," "au," and "eau" were strategically incorporated into the passage to assess students' ability to pronounce the /o/ sound accurately. Both tests and questionnaires were administered to 28 students under exam conditions, and a separate questionnaire targeted the four teachers instructing French from SHS1-3. The study draws on theories such as Behaviorist theory and Nina CATACH's plural-system theory to assist learners in overcoming pronunciation difficulties. Consequently, the research recommends the use of diverse teaching methods to engage and motivate learners. Suggestions include implementing learner-centered and activity-based methods during teaching. Lastly, recommendations are made to learners, teachers, and Ghana Education Service authorities to enhance French pronunciation and overall language learning in Ghana.