PHONETIC INTERFERENCE PROBLEMS IN TEACHING ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION IN THE PRIMARY GRADES OF UZBEK SCHOOLS

Annotatsiya

This article analyzes the problems of phonetic interference that arise in teaching English pronunciation in the primary grades of Uzbek schools. Drawing on the Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis, language transfer theory, and the Critical Period Hypothesis, the study identifies systematic differences between the phonological systems of Uzbek and English and systematizes the typical pronunciation errors found among primary school learners, along with methodological tools for addressing them. The relevance of the study is linked to the fact that English has been taught from primary grades in Uzbekistan since 2012, which requires teachers to anticipate and correct L1-induced pronunciation errors from the very first stage of instruction rather than allowing them to become fossilized habits. The article presents a contrastive analysis of segmental features (consonants absent in Uzbek, such as the interdental fricatives, and the /w/–/v/ distinction), vowel length, consonant clusters, and suprasegmental features (word stress and rhythm), and links each type of interference to a corresponding classroom technique. The findings are of practical value for primary school English teachers, methodologists, and textbook authors working within the Uzbek educational context