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Of the four language skills, listening is the most difficult skill to master for
students in the context of English as a Foreign Language (EFL). Students often
face difficulty in recognizing words spoken by native speakers of English in
cassettes, CDs, TVs, and most of all in live conversations or talks. This is due to
the fact that in natural English speech and talks words are linked with their
neighboring words and pronounced not in the way they are pronounced in
isolation, resulting in confusion and sometimes frustration among students over
the effort they have taken so far. This research attempts to reveal the relationship
of such pronunciation phenomena as weak form pronunciation and linking with
students’ listening ability in recognizing words spoken by native speakers. The
population of the research is the fourth semester students of English Education
Department of STKIPM Kotabumi Lampung comprising four classes with the
total number of 145. The sample of the research makes up 38 students taken using
proportional random sampling. The data is analyzed using SPSS 17 Program for
Windows. The result shows that correlation coefficient is 0.752 with
determination coefficient of 0.565 for the relationship between mastery of weak
form pronunciation and listening ability in recognizing words spoken by native
speakers. The correlation coefficient of linking an listening ability is 0.875 and
determination coefficient is 0.765. The relationship of the two independent
variables with the dependent variable shows correlation coefficient as big as 0.877
with determination coefficient of 0.77.
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