• Dr. K. Jaya Sheela

Abstract This study investigates the variation in the pronunciation of English vowel minimal pairs among engineering undergraduates in Telangana, India. Sixty-four second-language speakers from four colleges affiliated with two universities participated in pre- and post-tests involving reading tasks and minimal pair drills. Data were analyzed using both quantitative (SPSS paired-samples t-tests) and qualitative methods. Results show a statistically significant improvement (p < .005) in the post-test, indicating the positive effect of targeted pronunciation training. However, specific contrasts—particularly those involving vowel length, diphthong glides, and central vowels absent in General Indian English—remained challenging. The study highlights sociolinguistic influences such as parental education and social rank on phonetic performance and emphasizes the need for context-sensitive pronunciation pedagogy that balances Received Pronunciation (RP) norms with General Indian English (GIE) realities. These findings provide pedagogical insights for pronunciation teaching among non-native English learners in technical education.

Keywords: minimal pairs, Indian English, sociophonetics, pronunciation teaching, diphthongization, engineering students

"A Sociolinguistic Perspective on English Minimal Pairs as Articulated by Engineering Students.", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.12, Issue 10, page no.d454-d460, October-2025, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2510364.pdf

"A Sociolinguistic Perspective on English Minimal Pairs as Articulated by Engineering Students.", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.12, Issue 10, page no. ppd454-d460, October-2025, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2510364.pdf