Journal of Second Language Pronunciation - Volume 8, Issue 1, 2022

Abstract

The backbone of any successful journal is its Editorial Advisory Board. In this editorial, we introduce the members of JSLP’s Advisory Board and talk about their areas of expertise. Our advisory board includes many current and former editors, which creates an unusual strength for the journal.

Abstract

Motivated by a proposed administrative practice that would have discriminated against non-native English speaking (NNES) teachers, this study described an extensive phonological analysis on speech samples from ten certified Arizona teachers to investigate linguistic features that differentiate native English speaking (NES) teachers from NNES teachers. In addition, educational stakeholders (n = 141) impressionistically evaluated the speech samples for comprehensibility, accentedness, and perceived teaching suitability. Phonological features were used to predict listeners’ ratings on these three constructs. Multiple phonological features were found to predict comprehensibility, accentedness, and perceived teaching suitability, but each construct was predicted by a unique set of features. Lastly, stakeholders’ evaluations of NES and NNES teachers were analyzed. Despite individual variability in many of the features of NNES and NES teachers’ speech, educational stakeholders rated NNES teachers as more accented, less comprehensible, and less suited to teach.

Abstract

This study examines the developmental patterns manifested in the intonational grammar of American English-speaking learners of Spanish based on their use of intonational features (e.g., [±delayed peak], [±deaccentuation], or [±compression]) involved in focus marking in three different discursive contexts (i.e., broad focus, informational subject focus and corrective subject focus). The data, collected through a Question & Answer pairs task performed by learners and native speakers, suggests that while development towards the target language is possible, it is constrained by markedness and learnability. The analysis of the results is framed within Mennen’s L2 Intonation Learning theory, which considers the multidimensionality that characterizes intonational grammars and the complexity of the acquisition process as a result of it. Individual factors related to the learners’ experience (i.e., experience abroad and hours of exposure) were examined and extended periods of immersion (i.e., more than 8 months) were found to have a positive effect.

Abstract

This study examined the acquisition of the non-sibilant anterior fricatives /v, θ, ð/ by adult second language (L2) English talkers. Twenty-four Mandarin Chinese-L2 English talkers read aloud fricative-initial words. These talkers were chosen as their L1 contained /f/ but not /v, θ, ð/. Twenty L1 English listeners were asked to identify the L2-produced speech and rate the talker’s accent. On average, 69% of the fricatives were correctly identified. /v/ was the most difficult to correctly identify and was identified less accurately than /θ/ and /ð/. A ‘moderate’ accent was reported by L1 listeners, but accent rating did not predict L1 identification behavior. An exploratory acoustic analysis involving the correctly identified words from 22 talkers revealed that L2 talkers produced mean temporal differences used for voicing in line with published L1 data. Non-sibilant fricatives – particularly /v/ – may require pedagogical interventions to push L2 talkers off their learning plateau.

Abstract

The present study investigated children’s ability to learn to produce a non-native vowel contrast through a listen-and-repeat training method that is traditionally used in foreign language classrooms. Sixteen Finnish preschoolers (aged 6–7 years) were tested. The stimuli were two semi-synthetic pseudo words with the familiar vowel /y/ and the novel vowel /ʉ/ embedded in the first syllable. The procedure included four training and four recording sessions on two consecutive days. The vowels produced by the children were acoustically analyzed to obtain the average values of the first and second formant. The results showed that the participants changed their production of /ʉ/ towards the acoustic model after the first training and the change remained throughout the experiment. Our findings suggest 6–7-year-old children learn to produce a non-native vowel contrast even with limited L2 sound exposure in a listen-and-repeat training setting.

Abstract

Although pronunciation can be fostered through explicit instruction, instructors need practical strategies to support their learners’ pronunciation (Darcy, 2018; Derwing, 2018; Derwing & Munro, 2015; Levis, 2018). Additionally, “researching longitudinal development of L2 learners [pronunciation] is essential to understanding influences in their success” (Derwing & Munro, 2013, p.163). This three-semester-long experimental quantitative study on 72 French learners examined whether self-reflection (open-ended questionnaires) as a learning strategy could complement integrated explicit pronunciation instruction and support the development of intelligible production of the two contrastive vowels /y/ and /u/. Results on pre/post read-aloud tests surrounding pronunciation lessons were compared between a treatment (instruction + self-reflection), a comparison (instruction only) and a control group (neither instruction, nor self-reflection), and within each group to determine if there was significant growth over time. Findings revealed that self-reflection combined with explicit instruction led to better learning outcomes and production gains when compared to oral natural input.

This article reviews Second Language Speech Learning: Theoretical and Empirical Progress

This article reviews Applying Phonetics: Speech Science in Everyday Life

This article reviews The acquisition of Chinese as a Second Language pronunciation: Segments and prosody