Journal of Second Language Pronunciation - Volume 10, Issue 3, 2024

Abstract

The Journal of Second Language Pronunciation, after 10 years, plays a central role in the field of L2 pronunciation. It remains the only professional journal specializing in research and evidence-based pedagogy for L2 pronunciation for all additional languages. This editorial looks back at the main themes that have been repeatedly seen in the journal, including questions highlighting the role of accentedness, comprehensibility, and intelligibility; acquisition and development; the effects of formal instruction; perception and production; approaches to pronunciation research; and the role of technology and visualizations in L2 pronunciation learning.

Abstract

This study investigates the potential of textually-enhanced captioned video to direct EFL learners’ attention to a difficult L2 vowel contrast (English /æ/-/ʌ/) while watching a 30-minute episode of Ted Lasso. Spanish EFL learners (N = 89) were randomly assigned to five different viewing conditions: unenhanced captions (1); enhanced captions with /æ/ and /ʌ/ in two different colours with the target words either in phonetic symbols (2) or orthography (3); or with /æ/ and /ʌ/ in the same colour, either in phonetic symbols (4) or orthography (5). The participants’ eye movements were recorded with a Tobii TX-1200 eye-tracker. The textual enhancement implemented was effective in directing learners’ attention to the target words and attention was generally maintained during the episode. The enhanced conditions promoted higher fixation rates and durations than the unenhanced one. Additionally, the participants’ answers to a post-viewing questionnaire revealed that they considered these types of enhancement useful to help them spot instances of the target sounds and that the captions were not overwhelming.

Abstract

While generative AI-based chatbots expand opportunities for L2 pronunciation practice, not all are designed for language learning or provide explicit feedback. Through a comparison of two chatbots, Pronounce, which offers explicit pronunciation feedback, and Gemini, a general-purpose chatbot whose real-time transcription may serve as implicit feedback, this study explored whether practice with these chatbots had an impact on L2 English learners’ comprehensibility and whether any improvements were influenced by the presence of explicit feedback. Three groups of learners participated: two experimental groups, each practicing with one of the chatbots, and one control group. Although comprehensibility ratings indicated no statistically significant improvements at the group level based on training or the specific chatbot used, individual learners demonstrated improvements. These advancements were noted among motivated learners who completed most of their speaking sessions. Learners had positive impressions of their experience with the chatbots and believed that their practice contributed to their pronunciation improvement.

Abstract

Prosodic aspects of speech are crucial for the comprehensibility of L2 speakers, but prosody is rarely targeted in English language lessons. This paper describes an innovative training of English phrasal prosody using participants’ own speech as models in a modified listen-and-repeat paradigm, with their melodic and rhythmic patterns manipulated by means of PSOLA. The two-hour training was delivered individually to twelve intermediate native speakers of Czech. The comparison of a baseline recording of a read text before the training and two texts read six weeks after the training shows that using one’s own PSOLA-modified voice for prosody training is beneficial: the participants were perceived as sounding significantly more competent in the after-training recordings, their phrasing corresponded more to text-based predictions, and their melodic variability was significantly greater. The contribution of targeted prosody modifications in the teaching of L2 pronunciation are discussed.

Abstract

Claims of integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into mobile applications for pronunciation training date back to at least 2011 with the iOS app T Accent (Arivoc Education International, 2011), which used automatic speech recognition (ASR) to provide “Goodness of Pronunciation” (GOP) ratings (Witt & Young, 2000). AI has advanced significantly since 2011, most noticeably with the 2022 release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which made chatbots powered by generative AI more widely available. AI has led to new applications in pronunciation apps that can evaluate pronunciation and integrate communicative role-play activities. This article examines ASR and chatbot integration in three iOS apps: ELSA Speak, Loora, and Vocal Image. Feedback provided by these apps is frequently inaccurate and often limited to consonant and vowel sounds. This article cautions teachers and learners about the current limitations of these apps and provides recommendations for incorporating AI-powered tools into today’s pronunciation classrooms.

This article reviews Technological Resources for Second Language Pronunciation Learning and Teaching: Research-based Approaches