Investigation of the Pronunciation of the Voiceless Fricative Non-Sibilant Phoneme /θ/ in Arabic: An Acoustic Phonetics Comparative Analysis

Objectives: This research aims to investigate phonological interference experienced by Sundanese, Javanese, and Bataknese speakers (from now on referred to as SS, JS, and BS, respectively) in pronouncing the voiceless fricative non-sibilant /θ/ in Arabic. The phoneme /θ/ is selected by considering its absence in the languages aboves. Methods: This is descriptive-evaluative-comparative research with content analysis design whose goal is to predict and assess the pronunciation of the phoneme /θ/ by the SS, JS, and BS - while comparing it with the model speaker (starting now would be referred to as MS). The participants are selected purposively based on criteria which suit the aim of this research. Meanwhile the MS is a reciter who won first place in the National Musabaqah Tilawatil Quran. The research data are nine verses of the Qur'an, which contain the phoneme /θ/. The data are collected through the listen-record-note technique is compared to the MS and analyzed acoustically through the Praat application. Results: The results indicate that only the BS experience phonologic interference when pronuncing the phoneme /θ/ located at the beginning of a word, as well as the JS when pronuncing the phoneme /θ/ situated at the end of a word. Conclusions: The phonologic interference they experience is apparent by the change of the /θ/ sound to the /s/ sound. Meanwhile SS does not undergo phonologic interference in producing the phoneme /θ/ in Arabic, whether it is located at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of a word.