Journal of Second Language Pronunciation - Volume 6, Issue 2, 2020

Abstract

Professional conferences are a critical part of a growing and thriving field. L2 pronunciation has a growing number of dedicated conferences, and other long-standing conferences that are related to L2 pronunciation have seen greater participation from L2 pronunciation researchers as the field has grown. This article describes conferences that are of interest to the field of L2 pronunciation.

Abstract

This paper describes the features that set adult Indigenous language learning apart from other types second language learning, examining in particular the role that unique teaching and learning contexts might play in the acquisition of pronunciation. As a case study, the pronunciation of SENĆOŦEN (Coast Salish) /t’/ is compared across four groups of speakers, including two groups of adult learners. Acoustic analysis shows that /t’/, described as a weak ejective in previous work, is now consistently realized as a strong ejective, especially among learners and teachers. These findings are discussed with reference to factors relevant to language learning and teaching in general, as well as to ones relevant to Indigenous language learning and teaching in particular.

Abstract

The study compares two different graphic marking systems designed to help L2 learners of Swedish notice and realize phonological length. In System A, 22 L2 learners read aloud three /VːC/ words with length marked under long vowels and three /VCː/words with dots under short vowels. Twenty-two other L2 learners read the same words marked by the other system (System B) that underlines long vowels and long consonants. As a control group, 20 native Swedish speakers read the same words without any marking. We measured and compared the temporal realizations of the six words by all the three groups. System B readers realized Swedish phonological length more closely to the way that native speakers did, compared to System A readers. These results suggest that prompting both long vowels and long consonants can be more effective than marking long and short vowels.

Abstract

Research on segmentals has suggested that a key component of High Variability Phonetic Training (HVPT) is high talker variability. However, the extent to which high talker variability improves perception of tones is unclear. This study examined the effects of high talker variability on the perception of Mandarin tones (Tones 1–4) by English-speaking listeners. A training paradigm that used multiple talkers (multitalker group) was compared with a paradigm that used one talker (single-talker group). The results showed that the multitalker group outperformed the single-talker group, and they retained their learning better than the single-talker group did for 6 months. Neither group, however, improved their perception of Tone 1 or generalized their learning of monosyllables to disyllables. The results suggest that although high talker variability can effectively improve tone perception, it does not improve the perception of more tone categories or yield generalization of learning to more contexts compared to low talker variability.

Abstract

This study examined whether a negative social bias can influence how teachers evaluate second language (L2) speech. Twenty-eight teachers of L2 German from Western Canada – 14 native speakers (NSs) and 14 proficient non-native speakers (NNSs) – rated recordings of 24 adult L2 learners of German across five speech dimensions (accentedness, comprehensibility, vowel/consonant accuracy, intonation, flow) using 1,000-point scales. Immediately before rating, half of NS and NNS teachers heard critical comments about undergraduate German students’ language skills, while the other half heard no biasing comments. Under negative bias, while the NNS teachers provided favorable evaluations across all five measures, NS teachers followed suit for only intonation and flow, downgrading L2 speakers’ accentedness, comprehensibility, and vowel/consonant accuracy. Findings call into question the relative stability of L2 speech ratings and highlight the importance of social context and teacher status as native versus non-native speakers of the target language in assessments of L2 speaking performance.

This article reviews English Pronunciation Teaching and Research: Contemporary Perspectives

This article reviews Sounds: The Pronunciation App