LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 25:9 September 2025
ISSN 1930-2940

Editors:
         Selvi M. Bunce, M.A., Ph.D. Candidate
         Nathan Mulder Bunce, M.A., Ph.D. Candidate
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         T. Deivasigamani, Ph.D.
         Pammi Pavan Kumar, Ph.D.
         Soibam Rebika Devi, M.Sc., Ph.D.

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The Benefits of Internet-Based Language Tools for Teaching English Pronunciation to Non-Native English Speakers in Thailand: A Synopsis

Benjamin Leo Balanoff

Abstract

This extended summary establishes the core arguments, evidence, and implications of the paper while preserving its structure and emphasis. It traces the logic from problem framing through literature synthesis, benefits and implementation strategies, limits and risks, and closes with role-specific recommendations and future research directions that are tailored to Thailand's English-language education system.

Keywords:mobile assisted language learning, Thai English, internet-based language tools, automatic speech recognition platforms

Introduction

The paper addresses a long-standing imbalance in Thai English education: learners' written proficiency frequently outpaces their spoken intelligibility, with pronunciation being the primary bottleneck. While English occupies a central place in Thailand's national curriculum and in students' academic trajectories, workplace mobility, and regional integration (ASEAN), systematic pronunciation teaching is often uneven. In practice, time and assessment lean toward grammar, vocabulary, and reading - skills that align with national testing systems - while pronunciation often appears as occasional imitation or read-aloud practice with little feedback and limited assessment.

Through this framework, the paper investigates whether internet-based tools - including mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) apps, automatic speech recognition (ASR) platforms, and phonetic visualization software - can help close the gap between curricular ambition and classroom reality. It advances the proposition that these tools will not replace teachers, nor should they, but that they can systematically supply what large, exam-oriented classrooms struggle to provide - individualized, immediate feedback, abundant low-anxiety practice, multimodal input and data that guides instruction.

The scope is deliberately broad. The paper treats pronunciation as a composite of segmental accuracy (e.g., /l/-/r/, dental fricatives, final consonants, vowel distinctions) and suprasegmental control (stress, rhythm, and intonation)?with the latter frequently neglected yet tightly linked to intelligibility. It situates Thailand's context within current SLA frameworks and it engages the sociolinguistic reality that English today is a lingua franca: intelligibility across diverse accents matters more than native-like imitation. The analysis stretches from classroom practice to policy (curriculum standards and assessment), teacher education (phonetics and digital literacy), and equity (rural access, device/data inclusion), because technology only produces impact when embedded within coherent systems.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Benjamin Leo Balanoff
Assumption University Hua Mak
Bangkok, Thailand
benjaminbalanoff@gmail.com
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