Comparing Hybrid Pronunciation in Scripted Oral Discourse and Spontaneous Oral Discourse in Singapore: A Phonetic Analysis

Abstract

Sebutan Baku (SB or Standard Pronunciation) was implemented in Singapore in 1993 through the Malay Language curriculum and the Malay language broadcasting media. SB replaced Sebutan Johor- Riau (SJR) as the standard pronunciation, specifically for use with Standard Malay in formal contexts. The use of SJR with Colloquial Malay in informal contexts is not affected. This study uses phonetic analysis in the examination of the quality of SB spoken by political leaders, television newsreaders and radio newsreaders (n=15), all of whom read from a script. For comparison, the study also examines the spontaneous speech of radio deejays (n=5) in a pseudo-formal context. The findings show that the respondents' read speech is not perfect and reflects a hybrid pronunciation (a mixture of SB and SJR). Among the causes are the letters 'i' and 'u' in closed final syllables being pronounced more consistently using the SJR model than the SB model. Television newsreaders are the more consistent users of SB even though their pronunciation is still a hybrid. Social factors such as gender and schooling with or without SB are found to have an effect, though only minimal, on the quality of pronunciation. The findings also show that the hybrid pronunciation extends beyond the formal contexts outside the domain of SB. The paper offers a perspective on the emergence of the hybrid pronunciation and suggests a bleak prospect for the attainment of a perfect SB in Singapore.

Keywords: Standard pronunciation, hybrid pronunciation, sociophonetics,Malay language in Singapore, second dialect acquisition, age

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