Journal of Second Language Pronunciation - Volume 9, Issue 2, 2023

Abstract

This editorial argues that, despite strong evidence that pronunciation teaching leads to improvement, the field needs to question whether teaching techniques and pedagogical approaches to pronunciation teaching are all similarly effective.

Abstract

This study examined the accuracy of English-speaking learners of Spanish in storing L2 sounds within cognates and noncognates, specifically in words containing 〈g〉 and 〈h〉, which have differing cross-linguistic phoneme-grapheme correspondences. In the first task, participants heard Spanish words with target-like pronunciations of 〈g〉 and 〈h〉 or inaccurate pronunciations with an English-like phonemic substitution for these graphemes, and they decided whether or not they were words. The second task had participants decide between the two pronunciations of each Spanish word and select the accurate pronunciation. The findings in both tasks showed that for L2 learners, 〈h〉 cognate words had less accurate phonological representations compared to all other conditions, possibly due to the greater consistency in phoneme-grapheme correspondence for 〈h〉 in English. These results show that cognate status and orthographic (in)congruity interact to influence the accuracy of L2 lexical encoding.

Abstract

The term “noise” is often applied to the seemingly random variability that always appears in human data, and which is assumed to be of no interest to the researcher. Some of this variability is unavoidably due to measurement tools or the way in which we use them, and some is due to the unstable nature of human behaviour. In such cases, we may be justified in treating the variability as irrelevant noise. However, we cannot assume that all inexplicable variation is unimportant. Using examples from earlier research, I will argue that individual variability is a phenomenon worthy of study in its own right. Not only can it help us understand the nuances of the learning process, but giving it careful consideration can be a valuable step in determining how to effectively apply research findings in pedagogy.

Abstract

In quantity languages, the durations of segments affect the meanings of words. This can present problems for second language (L2) learners who do not already have this feature in their native language. This study examines the effects of an intensive, four-week language course with a communicative focus on the perception and production of non-native vowel duration contrasts. A total of 68 students of Finnish, divided into speakers of quantity or non-quantity languages, took part in identification and production tests before and after taking part in the course. The course produced a significant improvement on identification, but not production. Furthermore, a slight advantage was found for speakers of quantity languages in the identification task. Comparison to native control groups revealed significant differences between groups in both tasks. The results are discussed in relation to the interaction of perception and production, L2 learning models and relevance to L2 teaching.

Abstract

This study investigated listener-based assessment of the job performance of second language (L2) speakers employed as customer service agents in outsourced foreign-based call centers, focusing on agents’ job performance as a function of the comprehensibility, fluency, and accentedness of their speech. Using Amazon’s Mechanical Turk crowdsourcing platform, 116 native English-speaking listeners evaluated two-minute recordings of actual customer service conversations featuring 18 Filipino agents, assessing them for three global speech dimensions (comprehensibility, accentedness, and fluency) and three performance indicators, including agents’ confidence, competence, and listeners’ interest in future communication with agents (a measure capturing customer patronage). Comprehensibility and fluency consistently predicted how the listeners assessed the agents on all job performance scales, and accentedness was additionally associated with how strongly the listeners wished to communicate with the agents. Findings generally highlight the importance of fluent and comprehensible L2 speech in workplace settings.

This article reviews Falou

This article reviews Second Language Prosody and Computer Modeling

This article reviews English Pronunciation Teaching: Theory, Practice and Research Findings