scholarly journals Ease and Difficulty in L2 Pronunciation Teaching: A Mini-Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Grantham O’Brien
Keyword(s):  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Speech Sounds ◽  
Accented Speech ◽  
Suprasegmental Features ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
Realistic Goal ◽  
L2 Pronunciation

Both L2 learners and their teachers are concerned about pronunciation. While an unspoken classroom goal is often native-accented speech (i.e., a spoken variety of the mother tongue that it not geographically confined to a place within a particular country), pronunciation researchers tend to agree that comprehensible speech (i.e., speech that can be easily understood by an interlocutor) is a more realistic goal. A host of studies have demonstrated that certain types of training can result in more comprehensible L2 speech. This contribution considers research on training the perception and production of both segmental (i.e., speech sounds) and suprasegmental features (i.e., stress, rhythm, tone, intonation). Before we can determine whether a given pronunciation feature is easy or difficult to teach and—more importantly—to learn, we must focus on: 1) setting classroom priorities that place comprehensibility of L2 speech at the forefront; and 2) relying upon insights gained through research into L2 pronunciation training. The goal of the mini-review is to help contextualize the papers presented in this collection.

scholarly journals Detection of Non-native Speaker Status from Backwards and Vocoded Contentmasked Speech

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 87-105
Author(s):  
Arkadiusz Rojczyk ◽  
Andrzej Porzuczek
Keyword(s):  
White Noise ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Temporal Organization ◽  
Speech Rhythm ◽  
Accented Speech ◽  
Significant Contributor ◽  
Suprasegmental Features ◽  
The Status ◽  
Native Speech ◽  
Vocoded Speech

This paper addresses the issue of speech rhythm as a cue to non-native pronunciation. In natural recordings, it is impossible to disentangle rhythm from segmental, subphonemic or suprasegmental features that may influence nativeness ratings. However, two methods of speech manipulation, that is, backwards content-masked speech and vocoded speech, allow the identification of native and non-native speech in which segmental properties are masked and become inaccessible to the listeners. In the current study, we use these two methods to compare the perception of content-masked native English speech and Polish-accented speech. Both native English and Polish-accented recordings were manipulated using backwards masked speech and 4-band white-noise vocoded speech. Fourteen listeners classified the stimuli as produced by native or Polish speakers of English. Polish and English differ in their temporal organization, so, if rhythm is a significant contributor to the status of non-native accentedness, we expected an above-chance rate of recognition of native and non-native English speech. Moreover, backwards content-masked speech was predicted to yield better results than vocoded speech, because it retains some of the indexical properties of speakers. The resultsshow that listeners are unable to detect non-native accent in Polish learners of English from backwards and vocoded speech samples.

Effects of word class differences on L2 pronunciation accuracy

2001 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 283-299 ◽  
Author(s):  
GRACE H. YENI-KOMSHIAN ◽  
MEDINA ROBBINS ◽  
JAMES E. FLEGE
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Word Class ◽  
Linguistic Structure ◽  
Class Differences ◽  
Grammaticality Judgment ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
Adult Immigrants ◽  
L2 Pronunciation ◽  
Learning English

This study examined the effect of word class (nouns vs. verbs) on L2 pronunciation accuracy of Korean–English bilinguals. The participants were 192 adult immigrants whose age of arrival (AOA) in the United States ranged from 6 to 23 years. Transcriptions of their productions of English sentences indicated that they were more accurate in pronouncing verbs than nouns. Similarly, the results of a grammaticality judgment test revealed that they were more accurate in detecting incorrect formulations of verbs than nouns. These effects were significant in late L2 learners (AOA 12–23). The results were interpreted to reflect the influence of the linguistic structure of Korean (where the verb is more prominent than the noun) on learning English as an L2.

Discrepancy between heritage speakers' use of suprasegmental cues in the perception and production of Spanish lexical stress

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 233-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ji Young Kim
Keyword(s):  
Heritage Language ◽  
Lexical Stress ◽  
Speech Sounds ◽  
Early Exposure ◽  
Heritage Speakers ◽  
Minimal Pairs ◽  
Production Experiment ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
Suprasegmental Cues ◽  
Spanish Heritage Speakers

AbstractThis study investigates Spanish heritage speakers' perception and production of Spanish lexical stress. Stress minimal pairs in various prosodic contexts were used to examine whether heritage speakers successfully identify the stress location despite varying suprasegmental cues (Experiment 1) and whether they use these cues in their production (Experiment 2). Heritage speakers' performance was compared to that of Spanish monolinguals and English L2 learners. In Experiment 1, the heritage speakers showed a clear advantage over the L2 learners and their performance was comparable to that of the monolinguals. In Experiment 2, both the heritage speakers and the L2 learners showed deviating patterns from the monolinguals; they produced a large overlap between paroxytones and oxytones, especially in duration. The discrepancy between heritage speakers' perception and production suggests that, while early exposure to heritage language is beneficial for the perception of heritage language speech sounds, this factor alone does not guarantee target-like production.

Effects of Acoustic Variability in the Perceptual Learning of Non-Native-Accented Speech Sounds

Phonetica ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 64 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 122-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Travis Wade ◽  
Allard Jongman ◽  
Joan Sereno
Keyword(s):  
Perceptual Learning ◽  
Speech Sounds ◽  
Accented Speech ◽  
Acoustic Variability

Alfabetisatie in Het Nederlands Van Turkse Vrouwen

1977 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 94-104
Author(s):  
I. Segaar
Keyword(s):  
Practical Knowledge ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Speech Sounds ◽  
Turkish Women ◽  
Reading And Writing ◽  
Teaching Pronunciation ◽  
Correct Discrimination

This article concerns literacy in Dutch among migrant labourers and more specifically among Turkish women, as the author's main expe-rience lies in that field. The article aims to provide volunteers teaching Dutch to migrant labourers with some practical knowledge about literacy. First the Turkish Women Committee and its aims are introduced, because this committee tries to improve the position of Turkish women abroad by - amongst others - organising literacy classes in Turkish in Amsterdam. Dutch lessons are given as well. Linguistic arguments for literacy in the mother tongue are only put forward when social and cultural reasons have been introduced. Then some principles of phonetics are put forward, a comparison of Dutch and Turkish vowels and indications for phonetic correction. Finally, an order is indicated in which to present the Dutch vowels, and what phases there are to be observed in teaching pronunciation, reading and writing. Correct discrimination of speech sounds is considered absolutely necessary before teaching the last two skills.

The effects of articulatory gestures on L2 pronunciation learning: A classroom-based study

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 352-371 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Li ◽  
Taylor Somlak
Keyword(s):  
Classroom Environment ◽  
Read Aloud ◽  
Speech Sounds ◽  
Visual Aids ◽  
Speech Acquisition ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Audio Recordings ◽  
Class 1 ◽  
Post Test ◽  
L2 Pronunciation

Research on second-language (L2) speech acquisition suggests that audio-visual aids could be effective in helping learners acquire difficult L2 speech sounds (Li, 2016a). However, most previous studies have been restricted to laboratory settings rather than the classroom environment. The present study, therefore, was designed to fill this knowledge gap by analysing the effectiveness of audio-visual aids, particularly articulatory gestures, in teaching L2 speech sounds in actual classrooms. The participants were students from two classes of non-English majors who had severe difficulties with the differentiation of /θ/–/s/ and /ð/–/z/. ‘Read-aloud’ tasks were employed for pronunciation tests. The baseline data of the students’ pronunciation of the two contrasts was collected with a pre-test, and the intuitive–imitative approach was adopted for teaching. Specifically, the students were exposed to seven audio- or audio-visually recorded poems (one poem per week over the course of seven weeks) containing the target contrasts. The students in Class 1 were taught with the audio-recordings without images of the speaker’s face being displayed; in contrast, students in Class 2 were taught using audio-visual recordings, which allowed them to observe the speakers’ articulatory gestures of /θ/–/s/ and /ð/–/z/. To detect the teaching effect, a post-test was carried out after the teaching programme was completed. A delayed post-test was conducted one month after the post-test. Comparisons with the respective pre-test results indicated that students in Class 2 had a significant improvement in the pronunciation of the target contrasts in the post-test, whereas those in Class 1 did not. In the delayed post-test, neither class showed any significant difference in the pronunciation performance in comparison with the post-test. The findings, therefore, confirmed the effectiveness of exposure to audio-visual aids in teaching L2 pronunciation.

Pronunciation and Task-Based Instruction: Effects of a Classroom Intervention

RELC Journal ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 003368822098691
Author(s):  
Joshua Gordon
Keyword(s):  
Language Learners ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Classroom Intervention ◽  
Focus On Form ◽  
Accented Speech ◽  
Pronunciation Instruction ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
Based Instruction ◽  
Task Based Instruction ◽  
L2 Pronunciation

Explicit pronunciation instruction enhances production of intelligible, comprehensible, and fluent second language (L2) speech. Additionally, task-based instruction (TBI) enhances the production of segmentals and suprasegmentals, and promotes awareness of L2 forms in pronunciation. Since most previous research on TBI in L2 pronunciation learning has been carried out in laboratory settings, it is necessary to investigate how the implementation of tasks that differ in complexity in actual classroom settings could benefit L2 pronunciation learners. This classroom-based study investigated the effects of combining focus on form and TBI in L2 pronunciation instruction in the production of comprehensible, fluent, and L2-accented speech in English-as-a-foreign-language learners. Although the results of the study present modest gains, they make a case for the inclusion of explicit pronunciation instruction and tasks that differ in complexity to help learners develop pronunciation skills. Responding to recent calls for more classroom-based research that demonstrates how pronunciation can be implemented in systematic and principled ways, the results of this study are discussed in terms of implications and pedagogical recommendations for L2 pronunciation teaching and learning.

The effectiveness of real-time ultrasound visual feedback on tongue movements in L2 pronunciation training

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tanja Kocjančič Antolík ◽  
Claire Pillot-Loiseau ◽  
Takeki Kamiyama
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Visual Feedback ◽  
The Other ◽  
Acoustic Data ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Tongue Movements ◽  
L2 Pronunciation

Abstract The purpose of this study was to test the usability of ultrasound as a visual feedback tool in L2 pronunciation training. Six Japanese-speaking learners, aged 28–33 years, participating in a course in French phonetics for L2 learners, took part in the study. Four of them received three individual 45-minute lessons of ultrasound pronunciation training. The other two participants did not. Articulatory and acoustic data of French isolated /y/ and /u/ and Japanese [ɯ] were recorded before and after the ultrasound training, as well as two months later for the learners receiving the training. The analysis of the articulatory data revealed that three speakers with ultrasound feedback improved in the production of the French vowels, the contrast between them, as well as the contrast between the two French vowels and the Japanese [ɯ], suggesting that ultrasound may be a useful tool in second language pronunciation learning.

De Derde Persoon

2001 ◽  
Vol 66 ◽  
pp. 23-39
Author(s):  
Ineke van de Craats
Keyword(s):  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Older Children ◽  
L2 Acquisition ◽  
Possessive Constructions ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Third Person ◽  
L1 Acquisition ◽  
L1 And L2 ◽  
The Third Person

This paper deals with the question in which respects L1 acquisition differs from L2 acquisition. For this purpose, the way children learning Dutch as their mother tongue acquire possessive constructions is compared to how children and adults learning Dutch as a second language acquire them. The comparison is restricted to the third person role as possessor. Although L1 and L2 learners have many learner variants in common, L2 learners - both children and adults - are initially guided by the structure of their mother tongue. The influence of the L1 can even be resistent for a long time in the preference of one of the two possessive patterns of Dutch. A more conspicuous outcome is that young children are much more susceptibe to weak pronouns in the environmental input and use them at an earlier time than adults and older children.

Anaphora Resolution in Second Language Acquisition

Linguistics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristóbal Lozano
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Research Methods ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Anaphora Resolution ◽  
L2 Acquisition ◽  
English Sentence ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
And Performance

An area of second language acquisition (SLA) that has received much attention over the past decades is how adult second language (L2) learners acquire and process anaphors like overt and null pronouns. Anaphors are a pervasive phenomenon in language. SLA researchers have focused on Anaphora Resolution (AR), i.e., the mechanisms that allow speakers to determine how anaphors refer to their antecedents. Consider the English sentence David greeted Hugo while he was opening the door. The anaphor (the obligatory overt pronominal subject he) could potentially refer to either antecedent (the subject David or the object Hugo). In null-subject languages (e.g., Spanish, Italian, Greek, Arabic, Japanese, etc.), the situation is more complex, since both an overt (él ‘he’ in Spanish) and a null (Ø) pronominal subject can syntactically alternate and either can potentially refer to either antecedent: David saludó a Hugo mientras él/Ø abría la puerta. Adult L2 learners have an additional difficulty when resolving the anaphor since the way AR works in their mother tongue (L1) could influence their L2 acquisition. AR is a very frequent phenomenon whose investigation can shed light on fundamental questions in the discipline of SLA and Bilingualism: Acquisition and processing issues (How do adult learners acquire and process AR in their L2?); cross-linguistic influence (How does the anaphoric setup from their L1 influence their L2 acquisition? Does the learners’ L1 have a facilitative effect on their L2 in cases where the L1=L2 in terms of AR?); L2 development (How does AR develop in an L2 across proficiency levels?); ultimate attainment (Can near-native learners eventually master the subtleties of AR in their L2 in a native-like fashion?); the multiple factors that constrain AR (Which are the multiple (psycho)linguistic and discursive factors that determine learners’ anaphoric choice?); research methods (Which research methods (naturalistic versus experimental) can best reflect learners’ competence and performance of AR?); linguistic theory (Which are the SLA models that can best account for the observed AR facts in an L2?). In this article we will refer to key studies that address these topics. Given the topics covered in this bibliographical article (AR in adult SLA), the reader is referred to other related Oxford Bibliographies articles: anaphora and pronouns (see Anaphora, and Pronouns) as well as chapters covering aspects of SLA and bilingualism (Psycholinguistic Perspectives on Second Language Acquisition and Bilingualism, and Bilingualism and Multilingualism).

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