Journal of Second Language Pronunciation - Volume 8, Issue 3, 2022

Abstract

L2 pronunciation research has recently seen an increasing amount of documentary research approaches, which use previous research or other documentation of the field as the primary data to synthesize and quantify the findings of previous research on specific topics, such as the effects of pronunciation instruction. These research approaches have changed the character of the field by identifying findings upon which there are agreement, important gaps that have not yet been addressed, and key researchers and topics that have shaped the field. This editorial lists some examples of these types of research studies over the past decade that are specifically related to L2 speech and pronunciation.

Abstract

Integration of pronunciation into content courses is appealing because of its potential in helping learners apply their developing pronunciation skills in spontaneous speech. However, the effectiveness of pronunciation instruction (PI) when it is integrated still needs to be demonstrated. This study evaluates whether a group receiving integrated PI (targeting suprasegmentals) improved in controlled and spontaneous speech tasks, compared to a group who did not receive any specific PI. We measured improvements as comprehensibility ratings and proportion of perceived word stress and vowel reduction errors. The results show that integration appears to be beneficial overall, including in spontaneous speech tasks when comprehensibility is measured. We interpret these findings considering the different tasks used and examine the contribution of the specific instructional approach (form-focused with communicative contextualization) to the observed changes between pre- and post-test.

Abstract

Input is a necessary condition for language acquisition. In the language classroom, input may come from a variety of sources, including the teacher and student peers. Here we ask whether adult Lx learners are sensitive to the social roles of teachers and students such that they exhibit a preference for input from the teacher. We conducted an experiment wherein adult English speakers heard words in an artificial language. During an exposure phase, in one condition a “teacher” produced words with 25 ms of VOT on initial stop segments and a “student” produced the same words with 125 msec of VOT; in another condition the VOT durations were reversed. At test, participants judged productions by a different “student” and demonstrated a preference for the productions that matched the VOT durations of the teacher during exposure, providing evidence for an influence of social factors in differentiating input in Lx acquisition.

Abstract

The current study tested changes in the production of the Spanish vowels /a e i o u/ over a semester of study in intermediate second language Spanish learners (first language English) enrolled in either a Spanish phonetics (n = 17) or conversation (n = 12) course. All participants completed an oral text reading task at pretest and posttest time and a podcasting project throughout the semester, but only students in the phonetics course received explicit phonetics instruction. Results found group by time change for F2 values of /a/ and /e/, and for both changes, the instructed group’s values but not those of the uninstructed group were more nativelike at posttest time. These results show improvement over time on vowel quality production by the instructed group, and descriptive results found positive attitudes by both groups toward the project and other promising vowel production changes by the uninstructed group.

Abstract

This study examined listeners’ evaluations of first (L1) and second language (L2) English speech in work-related contexts. Ninety-six English-speaking listeners from Calgary rated audio recordings of 12 English speakers (6 L1 English, 6 L1 Tagalog) along three continua capturing one professional (competence), one experiential (treatment preference), and one linguistic (comprehensibility) dimension. The audio recordings additionally differed in terms of job prestige (high vs. low) and performance level (high vs. low). Compared to English speakers, Tagalog speakers were rated as less competent and comprehensible overall, and listeners wished to be treated more like the clients in scenarios recorded by English than Tagalog speakers, with all effects magnified for speakers with heavier foreign accents. Nonetheless, listeners generally evaluated English and Tagalog speakers similarly in low-prestige and in low-performance scenarios, but rated low performance less negatively in low-prestige positions. Findings demonstrate highly nuanced accent bias in work-related contexts.

This article reviews Activities and Exercises for Teaching English Pronunciation

This article reviews Listening in the classroom: Teaching students how to listen

This article reviews Second language pronunciation: Bridging the gap between research and teaching