This study investigates the Korean pronunciation errors of Myanmar learners by analyzing both controlled word tasks and spontaneous utterances within contextual dialogues. Eight participants—four who received pronunciation training in Korea and four...
This study investigates the Korean pronunciation errors of Myanmar learners by analyzing both controlled word tasks and spontaneous utterances within contextual dialogues. Eight participants—four who received pronunciation training in Korea and four who studied in Myanmar—were selected to examine how different educational environments influence phonological accuracy. A total of 31 target words and sentence-based tasks were designed to elicit common pronunciation difficulties, particularly focusing on the realization of central vowels (/ɨ/, /ə/, /jə/) and final consonants, including nasals and laterals. In addition, participant interviews were conducted to explore learners’attitudes, awareness of pronunciation issues, and metalinguistic reflections. The analysis revealed distinct patterns of phonological errors, including vowel substitution, final consonant simplification, nasal assimilation, and place-of-articulation shifts. Interestingly, learners trained in Korea exhibited higher error rates, which were interpreted in connection with their relatively low awareness of pronunciation problems and lack of corrective feedback, as revealed through interviews. In contrast, learners trained in Myanmar, despite limited exposure to native speakers, demonstrated stronger metacognitive awareness and self-monitoring tendencies. The findings suggest that the learner's perception of pronunciation accuracy, rather than the physical location of instruction, plays a more significant role in phonological acquisition. Pedagogical implications are also discussed, with suggestions for more explicit and awareness-raising pronunciation instruction tailored to Myanmar learners of Korean.