Journal of Second Language Pronunciation - Volume 9, Issue 3, 2023

Abstract

This special issue looks at the decisions behind prosody teaching in recently published L2 pronunciation studies. The teaching of prosody can include a variety of topics (e.g., lexical stress, intonation, prominence, rhythm, etc.) and approaches to teaching, but the justifications for the decisions about what to emphasize often are not extensively explained in published articles. It is the intention of this issue to provide descriptions of a variety of studies, some face-to-face and some using technology, in the hope that future studies focused on prosody will provide more complete accounts of their own decisions. Each of the articles in this issue address decisions to teach prosody, the teaching approach of the study, materials used, and an evaluation of the decisions made.

Abstract

Yenkimaleki and van Heuven (2021) studied the effects of teaching either segmental or suprasegmental (prosodic) aspects of English, in combination with either perception or production-focused practice (four combinations in all) on the speech intelligibility and comprehensibility of Persian L1 learners of English as a foreign language. Generally, production-focused exercises were more effective but there was no overall effect of teaching segmentals versus prosody. However, the specific combination of emphasis on prosody and production-oriented exercises was most beneficial. We summarize the results of the study and present, more systematically and in more detail than in the original article, the materials and teaching methods used.

Abstract

This article looks at the decisions behind teaching contrastive stress in a 2018 article by the author. The teaching of prosody can include areas like lexical stress, intonation, prominence, rhythm, etc., either in aggregate or by focusing on a specific feature, such as contrastive stress, the focus of this paper. Contrastive stress is often taught using written texts that require learners to understand the content of the texts as well as to identify the pronunciation issues in reading those texts aloud. The decisions made for this study were driven by the target learner population, low-intermediate learners of English, who were very much less likely to be able to carry out both of these tasks. As a result, the study was built around the use of pictures that could be used to compare and contrast without reading.

Abstract

Suprasegmental (prosody) deficiencies seriously affect English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ comprehensibility and intelligibility. Among suprasegmental features, the most problematic for Iranian learners is rhythm, due to fundamental differences between English and Farsi language timing patterns. To improve learners’ pronunciation, computer-assisted pronunciation training (CAPT) is commonly applied to provide a private, individualized learning environment with unlimited input and visual, instant, and precise feedback. In our previous study, a specific kind of CAPT application, (MyET™) was used to enhance suprasegmental features of five Iranian EFL learners. The results showed that CAPT helped them improve their pronunciation skills. They also had positive attitudes toward taking this approach. In this short paper, we describe how prosody teaching actually occurred in the classroom, how we used the material, and how we reported the results. Suggestions and recommendations for further research are also presented.

Abstract

This report explains the teaching decisions made in Kissling (2018). The original study measured the effect of explicit pronunciation instruction (PI) on the listening comprehension of beginning L2 Spanish learners (n = 116), as measured via accuracy on a dictation task (intelligibility) and ratings of perceived difficulty (comprehension). Learners either received PI that focused on segmentals or PI that focused on suprasegmentals, followed by practice either producing or perceiving those same sounds. The original article reported that all groups, including a control group, improved over time, but the suprasegmental PI followed by perception-focused practice had the largest effect on intelligibility, whereas the segmental PI followed by production-focused practice had the largest effect on comprehensibility, suggesting that all instructional approaches have value. The current report explains in greater detail the teaching decisions made in Kissling (2018), including the classes recruited, materials development, and PI presentation.

Abstract

This paper focuses on how the web-based intonation training occurred in the research project by Jiang and Chun (2023). It describes the pedagogical design, materials and activities, as well as the overall training plan. It also evaluates the effectiveness of this pedagogy. The findings have implications for applying the materials and activities in future research and teaching of L2 students’ intonation.

Abstract

This paper reports the pedagogical decisions in Li et al. (2023) “The effectiveness of embodied prosodic training in L2 accentedness and vowel accuracy” published in Second Language Research. The study revealed that embodied prosodic training improved the overall pronunciation skills of Catalan-speaking learners of French and the pronunciation accuracy of front rounded vowels more than training without hand gestures. Three main pedagogical innovations were key in obtaining the positive results. First, the hand gestures performed by the instructor closely mimicked the prosodic structure (i.e., the melodic and rhythmic features) of the target sentences. Second, the sentences used for training were embedded in meaningful communicative dialogues. Third, the challenging L2 sounds were embedded in multiple occasions and in various prosodic positions. Therefore, in the hope of encouraging L2 teachers to incorporate such techniques in teaching practice, we provide a full description of the materials and procedures in Li et al. (2023).

Abstract

This report provides a detailed discussion of the suprasegmental lessons in the Supra Tutor course and the main teaching approaches and pedagogical and technological decisions behind those lessons. First, the paper provides a brief background section explaining the study (Lima, 2020), its target population, and the focus of the Supra Tutor course. Section 2 expands on the pedagogical and technological rationales and explains the activities included in the Tutor and their purpose. Section 3 provides a description of how instruction was implemented in the study. Finally, Section 4 concludes the report by reflecting on major changes made to the Supra Tutor after the research was concluded.

Abstract

The present study examined the perception of two regional variants of Spanish (theta /Ɵ/ and zheísmo/sheísmo [ʒ, ʃ]) by nonnative speakers of Spanish with and without study abroad experience. The study’s goals were to determine whether learners who study abroad accept regional variants more frequently than at-home learners, and whether this effect is limited to cues participants are exposed to while abroad. Participants were L1 English speakers asked to determine whether they considered real and nonce word pairs with matching and mismatching regional variants to be instances of the same word. The findings reveal higher acceptance rates of mismatching variants by L2 learners who had studied abroad than of classroom learners but results for specific location of study abroad that suggest learners likely build perceptual resilience while abroad that goes beyond the specific cues they are exposed to.

This article reviews Phonetics in Language Teaching