Presentations Abstracts
Barrett, Catrice
University of Pennsylvania
Music in the pronunciation classroom: Are all approaches created equal?
Studies and materials related to the use of music in the second language classroom often tout
increased engagement as a major benefit. While this has been documented generously (Fischler,
2006; Graham, 1978; Israel, 2013), there are various contextual factors which shape learners’
experience of music-based approaches to pronunciation instruction in drastically different ways.
This presentation is based on data from an elective pronunciation course at a U.S. university in
which I introduce rap and pop music activities for the purpose of developing students’ speech
rhythm. In the role of teacher-researcher, I employ qualitative methods to understand how learners
perceive and engage with the music-based pronunciation instruction; I also document the
affordances and limitations of various activity types.
The findings reveal that students’ experiences with these music-based pronunciation activities vary
according to their own personal beliefs, the alignment of the activities with their social goals and the
interactional affordances of the activities. The findings also complicate the idea that all approaches
to using music in the pronunciation classroom are, in fact, equal. As such, I conclude by arguing in
favor of a more nuanced consideration of the coalescing factors involved with using music in the
pronunciation classroom.
Beaulieu, Suzie (Université Laval)
French, Leif (Université du Québec à Chicoutimi)
Can explicit instruction promote the development of French L2 learners’
socio-phonetic productive knowledge?
Research has shown that French second language (L2) learners’ limited ability to adapt their speech
to the level of informality of the situation negatively influences how they are perceived by native
speakers (Beaulieu, 2012; Segalowitz, 1976). Yet, despite the importance of both receptive and
productive knowledge of stylistic features for learners who seek to use their L2 in a variety of social
contexts (Mougeon et al., 2010), the explicit teaching of stylistic features of French has received
virtually no pedagogical focus in North American French L2 classrooms (Etienne & Sax, 2009). To
address this pedagogical shortcoming, a 45-hour advanced French L2 course was designed to
introduce students to the most common socio-stylistic features (e.g., ne deletion / retention and
schwa deletion / retention) found in (Canadian) French.
The present study attempted to evaluate the effects of this course on the students’ (n=18)
development of planned and unplanned productive knowledge of a socio-phonetic variation
phenomena (/l/ deletion vs. retention). A pre-planned story retell task was used to assess students’
productive socio-phonetic knowledge before and after the course. A second retell task was also
added at the post-test to assess students’ spontaneous unplanned production of the target variable
which was then compared to a corpus of French L1 speakers (n = 23) recorded under the same
conditions.
Preliminary findings suggest that explicit instruction triggered changes in students’ unplanned
planned productive use of the target feature; however, this use differed from that of native speakers.
References
Beaulieu, S. (2012). Towards a sociolinguistically informed pedagogy: French for L2 nursing
students in Alberta. Unpublished dissertation: University of Alberta.
Etienne, C., & Sax, K. (2009). Stylistic variation in French: Bridging the gap between research and
textbooks. The Modern Language Journal, 93, 584-606.
Mougeon, R., Nadasdi, T., & Rehner, K. (2010). The Sociolinguistic Competence of Immersion
Students. Bristol/Toronto: Multilingual Matters.
Segalowitz, N. (1976). Communicative incompetence and the non-fluent bilingual. Canadian
Journal of Behavioural Science, 8(2), 121-131.
Brinton, Donna (UCLA – retired)
Chan, Marsha (Mission College)
What’s Hot? What’s Not? Insights from Pronunciation Practitioners
An important discussion forum in today’s global Applied Linguistics community is the electronic
mailing list. Elists have a variety of functions, the primary of which is to provide an online
discussion venue for practitioners to exchange information and ideas. The primary functions of
elists are the following: (1) discussion of administrative issues (e.g., distribution of addresses,
introduction of new members, announcements of events);
(2) request for/provision of references on a topic; and (3) general discussion of issues.
In this session, the presenters summarize discussions held on a moderated invitational elist
comprising an international community of pronunciation practitioners. Discussion on this elist
covers a broad range of topics, from how best to teach certain features of English pronunciation to
differences in dialects of the English-speaking world to research into prosodic phenomena.
Discussion is of an informal nature, with participants having four basic options: (1) to generate a
new discussion strand; (2) to respond to a previously- initiated discussion strand and react to other
participants’ views; (3) to share knowledge on a topic in response to queries put out to the elist; or
(4) to more passively participate in a discussion by reading others’ elist postings.
The presenters, both members of the elist, share highlights from their research into the main
discussion topics (strands) and discussion substrands (threads) over the past one- year period,
synthesizing particularly controversial or informative discussion threads. Discussion strands (e.g.,
accent prejudice, rating levels of pronunciation competence, charts for English pronunciation
teaching, and the role of pronunciation in speaking test ratings) will be analyzed, and sample
verbatim comments will be shared.
Buss, Larissa (Concordia University)
Kennedy, Sara (Concordia University)
L2 Graduate Students’ Development of Speaking in Oral Presentations
Academic speaking is an essential skill for graduate students, but it can pose significant challenges to
those studying in a second language (Berman & Cheng, 2010; Ferris, 1998). Although some
universities offer programs to help L2 students acquire this skill, there is little empirical evidence to
inform the selection of targets for academic speaking instruction. One point that is still unclear is
whether certain aspects of oral presentations are more likely than others to develop incidentally
(i.e., without instruction in academic speaking). The main purpose of this study was to address this
question by analyzing longitudinal changes in oral presentations given by 11 L2 graduate students at
a Canadian university.
At the beginning and end of two consecutive semesters, the 11 students were recorded giving fiveminute presentation explaining a key concept/term in their field to an imagined audience of firstyear undergraduates (4 presentations, 26 weeks). Excerpts of around one minute were taken from
each presentation (n = 104 excerpts) and was randomly presented to fifteen untrained native
English raters who rated the samples for six constructs: accentedness, comprehensibility, content,
organization, fluency, and speaking style. Repeated measures ANOVAs conducted on the ratings
showed no significant differences for overall differences in students’ ratings over time. However,
main effects and interactions for the different constructs and interactions were found. Raters always
distinguished between students’ accentedness and comprehensibility in the ratings. However,
ratings of the first presentation did not distinguish between students’ accentedness and fluency or
between students’ comprehensibility, fluency, and speaking style. Ratings of later presentations
showed differences between students’ comprehensibility, fluency, and speaking style, but still did
not distinguish between their accentedness and fluency. Results will be discussed in light of possible
task effects due to students’ preparation and in light of untrained raters’ understanding of
constructs.
Buss, Larissa (Concordia University)
Kennedy, Sara (Concordia University)
Cardoso, Walcir (Concordia University)
The Role of Intonation in the Organization of L2 Academic Discourse
Prosody has been identified as an important element in the organization of academic discourse
(Pickering, 2004; Tyler, Jefferies, & Davies, 1988). In English, intonation contour is used to
indicate whether a given phrase should be interpreted as separated from or connected to a
subsequent phrase (Pierrehumbert & Hirschberg, 1990), and pitch range is expanded to signal topic
shift (paratone). There is evidence suggesting that accuracy in the use of the paratone by second
language (L2) speakers is significantly related to their comprehensibility (Wennerstrom, 1998).
Despite its importance, the acquisition of prosody as an organizational tool for L2 academic
discourse has been understudied. This study tracks the longitudinal development of
intonation in oral presentations given by eight nonnative graduate students at a Canadian University
(4 females and 4 males).
The participants were instructed to prepare five-minute presentations explaining a key
concept/term in their field to an imagined audience of first-year undergraduates. Data collection
occurred at four points in time: at the beginning and end of their first two semesters of study (4
presentations, 26 weeks). The participants did not receive any instruction in academic speaking or
teaching during the study. In each presentation, paratone and use of pitch at phrase boundaries
were analyzed with the software program Praat (Boersma & Weenink, 2014). This was done by
calculating changes in pitch range at rhetorical shifts and by identifying the pitch level used at phrase
boundaries. Two comparable presentations given by graduate students who were native
English speakers (1 female and 1 male) were also examined. Descriptive statistics will be used to
compare the native and nonnative speaker data and to report longitudinal changes in the L2
speakers’ use of intonation. Pedagogical implications for English for Academic Purposes will also
be discussed.
Chun, Dorothy (UC Santa Barbara)
Jiang, Yang (UC Santa Barbara)
Meyr, Justine (UC Santa Barbara)
Yang,Rong (UC Santa Barbara)
Acquisition of L2 Mandarin Chinese Tones with Learner-Created Tone Visualizations
This paper reports on a study in which 35 first-year Mandarin Chinese learners were taught (1) to
record themselves and create pitch curves of their spoken word tones using an open source
program (Praat) and (2) to compare their pitch curves with those of native speakers. Building on an
earlier short-term pilot study, which suggested that visualizations could be helpful for improving
tone production (Chun, Jiang, & Ávila, 2013), the learners in this study received
sustained, systematic training for pronunciation of disyllabic words and phrases using the
visualizations that they had created themselves. The training took place for 20-25 minutes every
week over 9 weeks. Two types of data analyses were performed. First, four native speakers of
Mandarin auditorily rated the pre- and post-test recordings. The ratings of the learners’ recordings
by native speakers revealed that learners’ pronunciation of tones improved between the pre- and
post-tests. Second, acoustic analyses of the learners’ recordings were conducted, also using Praat,
and the learners’ production data was compared
with native speakers’ production. Results of these analyses indicated that in the pre-test students had
difficulty with either pitch height or pitch contour (sometimes both). In the post-test, students’
pronunciation of some tones improved, depending on whether they were high- or low-proficiency
learners. In general, the auditory analyses by the native speakers were corroborated by the acoustic
data. In addition, post-treatment surveys indicated that twothirds of the participants perceived that viewing pitch curves was helpful for tone acquisition. This
study confirms previous work that employed both auditory and acoustic analyses of tone
production, and has implications for the use of pitch visualizations for pedagogical purposes.
Dickerson, Wayne (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign)
A NAIL in the Coffin of Stress-Timed Rhythm
Conventional wisdom in the TESL community is that English phrases are spoken with stress-timed
rhythm, where rhythmic accents occur at regular intervals. For seventy years, this claim has held
such appeal that TESL practitioners have largely ignored the research on a variety of languages that
has repeatedly failed to confirm the existence of stress timing in any language (Cauldwell 2002).
If stress timing is a myth, then what accent pattern does English really have? Bolinger (1961:135)
says the majority of spoken English phrases have only one or two accents, a pattern he depicts as a
two-tower suspension bridge. Wells (2006:192) says: “An IP [intonational phrase] usually contains
only one or two accents (onset and nucleus or just a nucleus).”
So why has this accent pattern not gained currency in TESL? Because its two accents have not been
predictable enough to guide learners’ production. While good descriptions of the second peak—the
nucleus—exist, there have been no adequate descriptions of the first peak—the onset.
This paper reports on research that addresses the question: Where is the onset? The result is a rule
that is sufficiently accurate and simple that learners can find the onset and use the two-accent
pattern for themselves. NAIL is an acronym that stands for categories of words that attract the
onset. After using the rule for two years with university-level students, we share our observations
about its success. This rule holds the promise of finally putting stress timing behind us and teaching
English as it is actually spoken.
References
Bolinger, D. 1961. Three analogies. Hispania, 44, 134-137.
Cauldwell, R. 2002. The functional arhythmicality of spontaneous speech: A discourse view of
speech rhythms. Apples 2(1), 1-24.
Wells, J. 2006. Intonation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Foote, Jennifer (Concordia University)
McDonough, Kim (Concordia University)
Form-focused Pronunciation Activities: To Repeat or Not to Repeat?
The second language (L2) classrooms that are believed to provide optimal conditions for learning
are those with a primary focus on authentic communication and a secondary focus on form (Ellis,
2001; 2005). However, pronunciation instruction tends to be the reverse, having a strong focus on
form, often by way of repetition, while authentic communication is secondary (e.g., Gilbert, 2005;
Grant, 2010). Repetitive, form-focused instruction has been shown to have a positive effect on L2
speakers’ pronunciation (e.g., Couper 2003, 2006; Derwing, Munro & Wiebe, 1997; Saito &
Lyster, 2012). Given the popularity of communicative approaches to instruction, an interesting
question is how L2 speakers view form-focused, repetition-heavy pronunciation activities.
This study investigates the perceptions of university-level L2 English speakers (N = 16) about a
popular pronunciation activity called shadowing. Shadowing is a form-focused technique where
speakers copy a speech stimulus by repeating it nearly simultaneously. Over an eight-week period,
each participant received a weekly dialogue for shadowing practice and used an Ipod app to record
their practice. They were required to practice at least four times per week for a minimum of 10
minutes per time and to log their practice times. At both the midpoint and the end of the study, the
participants were interviewed about their perceptions about shadowing. Weekly logs indicated that
participants frequently practiced longer than the minimum required. The interviews revealed that
most participants were positive about the tasks despite, or even because of, their focus on
repetition. Implications for pronunciation instruction are highlighted.
References
Couper, G. (2003). The value of an explicit pronunciation syllabus in ESOL teaching. Prospect, 18,
53-70.
Couper, G. (2006). The short- and long-term effects of pronunciation instruction. Prospect, 21, 46-
66.
Derwing, T. M., Munro, M. J., & Wiebe, G. E (1997). Pronunciation instruction for “fossilized”
learners: Can it help? Applied Language Learning, 8, 217-235.
Ellis, R. (2001). Introduction: Investigating form-focussed instruction. Language Learning, 51(Supp.
1), 1-46.
Ellis, R. (2005). Principles of instructed language learning. System, 33(2), 209-224.
Gilbert, J. (2005). Clear speech: Pronunciation and listening comprehension in American English
(3rd ed.). New York: Cambridge University Press.
Grant, L. (2010). Well said (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Heinle & Heinle.
Saito, K. and Lyster, R. (2012). Effects of form-focused instruction on L2 pronunciation
development of /ɹ/ by Japanese Learners of English. Language Learning, 62, 2, 595–633.
French, Leif (Université du Québec à Chicoutimi)
Gagné, Nancy (Université du Québec à Chicoutimi)
Guay, Jean-Daniel (Université du Québec à Chicoutimi)
Beaulieu, Suzie (Université Laval)
Short-term study abroad: French learners’ fluency, comprehensibility and accentedness
As a result of the proliferation of short-term (less than 8 weeks) study abroad (SA) programs in
North America and Europe, researchers (e.g., Duperron & Overstreet, 2009) have increasingly
underlined the importance of investigating the impact of these programs on the development of
second-language (L2) skills. Although little research currently exists in this area, it does suggest
that length of stays of as little as three weeks can positively impact both lexical and oral
production skills, especially fluency (Llanes, 2011). Thus far, however, virtually no research has
systematically examined the influence of short-term SA contexts on the development of adults’ L2
oral production skill from a tri-dimensional perspective (Derwing & Munro, 2013) targeting the
notions of perceived fluency, comprehensibility and accentedness.
This study set out to investigate the development of adult L2 (French) learners’ (n = 100)
fluency (flow of language output), comprehensibility (perceived difficulty of understanding) and
accentedness (perceived difference in accent with respect to Québec French) when enrolled in
a short-term (5-week) SA program in Quebec, Canada. Learners’ oral production was assessed
during the first week (Time 1) and last week (Time 2) of the program using a picture-narrative
task based on The Suitcase Story (Derwing et al., 2004). Time 1 and Time 2 speech samples (M =
32 sec) were then randomized and rated on each of the three dimensions by expert Québec
French speakers (n = 10) using a 9-point Likert scale.
The findings from this study will be presented in terms of the following questions: 1) Is a
5-week intensive learning period sufficient enough to observe significant changes in French
(L2) learners oral production skill indexed as a tri- dimensional model (perceived fluency,
comprehensibility and accentedness)? 2) Do initial (Time1) levels of oral production skill have a
differential impact on the development of these dimensions over the five-week period? 3) To
what extent do the findings converge with the large body of empirical work with English as
the target language?
References
Llanes, À. (2011). The many faces of study abroad: An update on the research on L2 gains emerged
during a study abroad experience. International Journal of Multilingualism, 3, 189-215.
Derwing, T. M., & Munro, M. J. (2013). The development of L2 oral language skills in two L1
groups: A 7-year study. Language Learning, 63(2), 163-185.
Derwing, T.M, Rossiter, M.J., Munro, M.J., & Thomson, R.I. (2004). Second language fluency:
Judgments on different tasks. Language Learning, 54 (4), 655-679.
Duperron, L., & Overstreet, M. H. (2009). Preparedness for study abroad: Comparing the linguistic
outcomes of a short-term program by third, fourth and sixth semester L2 learners.
Frontiers, 18, 157-179.
Grim, Frederique (Colorado State University)
Miller, Jessica (University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire)
Spoken French in a Phonetics Course: Impressions and Applications
In L2 French courses in the United States, standard French, also called international French, is the
preferred language taught. The goal is to teach learners to communicate anywhere in the world.
However, this arbitrary view of the French language creates a linguistic dichotomy as the youth, in
any Francophone country, do not speak standard French (Guadet & Guérin, 2008; Primoz, 2002).
L2 Learners are exposed to an unauthentic way to communicate and might face challenges when
travelling or studying abroad and intermingling with native speakers. Few studies have compared
the use of standard French vs. spoken French (Armstrong, 2001; Knaus & Nadasdi, 2001;
Meissener, 1999), particularly in light of the communicative language approach. In a Canadian and
immersion context, studies have shown that learners tend to lean towards the use of standard
French and do not consider the communicative language focus most curricula have adopted in the
past years (Knaus & Nadasdi, 2001; Meissener, 1999).
Through online pre-course and post-course surveys, this presentation will share the opinion of
students taking a 3rd-year French phonetics course from 2 different institutions. In the course, they
were exposed to the pronunciation of standard French and spoken French. Their comparisons of
spoken French and standard French will be presented, along with pedagogical implications for
language courses, regardless of language and content.
Harada, Tetsuo (Waseda University)
Long-term effects of early foreign language learning on phonemic discrimination
Though age of learning effects on second language (L2) speech perception and production in a
naturalistic setting are well documented (e.g., Flege, 1999), it is controversial whether or not early
foreign language (FL) learning in an instructional setting (i.e., a few hours’ classroom contact per
week) will benefit L2 speech learning. Some studies show perceivable age effects of FL on
phonemic perception (e.g., Larson-Hall, 2008; Lin et al., 2004, only under noise condition),
whereas others (e.g., García Lecumberri & Gallardo, 2003; Muñoz, 2011) report no age of learning
effects. This study investigated 1) age effects of English language learning in the instructional setting
on the perception of English consonants produced by several talkers under different noise
conditions, and 2) the relationship of learners’ phonemic discrimination ability with their language
learning experiences in both childhood and adulthood. The participants were native speakers of
English (n = 10) and two groups of Japanese university students: one group (n = 21) started studying
English for a few hours a week between ages of three and eight (early learners), and the other (n =
24) began to study in junior high school at the age of twelve or thirteen (late learners). The selected
target phonemes were word-medial approximants (/l, r/). Each nonword (i.e., ala, ara), produced by
six American English-speaking talkers, was combined with speech babble at the signal-to-noise
ratios (SNRs) of 8 dB (medium noise) and 0 dB (quite high noise for L2 listeners). A
discrimination test was given in the ABX format (e.g., A: ala, B: ara, X: ala). Results showed that as
opposed to the assumption that the earlier the better, the late learners discriminated /l/ and /r/
better than the early learners regardless of the noise and talker conditions (p < .05). Regression
analyses also indicated that the only factor found to be significantly correlated with the early
learners’ discrimination scores was the length of learning, while the late learners’ performance was
accounted for by their current classroom interaction with teacher and peers, and use of spoken
English outside of classroom (p < .05). This may support Muñoz’s (2011) finding that in early FL
learning in instructional settings, late learners may catch up depending on the quality and quantity
of input.
Hardison, Debra (Michigan State University)
Relationship between L2 Oral Communication Strategies and Abilities
This project addresses the generalizability of Nakatani’s (2006) results regarding language
learners’ perceived communication strategies and their relationship to communication ability. In
that study, following a factor analysis of the survey data from 400 Japanese university students,
Nakatani reported eight factors involving EFL communication strategies. Social- affective,
fluency-oriented, and meaning-negotiation strategies were then associated with higher raterassigned scores for 62 students in a recorded simulated conversation.
The current study investigated those strategy factors with 75 L1 Chinese students at a Midwestern
university (LOR 4-6 mos.), and their relationship to self- and rater-assessed abilities. Native and
nonnative English speakers reviewed and clarified survey items; 31 were randomized for
presentation using a 5-pt. true-of-me scale. Participants completed the survey, assessed their
overall speaking ability on an 8-pt. scale, and used 8-pt. scales with a rubric to evaluate their
pronunciation, fluency, grammar, vocabulary, and communication skills. They also participated in
a recorded interaction with a native English speaker. Experienced ESL teachers rated the
recordings.
Mean self-assessed overall speaking ability was 3.49 versus rater-assessed 3.14. Self-assessed means
for individual skills ranged from 3.39 (fluency) to 4.24 (pronunciation) versus rater- assessed 2.97
(fluency) to 3.34 (pronunciation). Reliability of Nakatani’s strategy factors ranged from .12 to .67
(Cr.α). Using item-total correlations, items were omitted or realigned to produce five reliable scales
(Cr.α=.70-.75).
Participants’ means for these revised scales were predictor variables in regression analyses with
each speaking measure as the dependent variable. Overall, higher self-assessments were
associated with stronger use of accuracy-oriented and affective strategies. Participants who
reported rarely abandoning their message while communicating had higher self-ratings for
communication skills. Higher rater-assessments were generally associated with stronger use of
accuracy-oriented and listener-accommodation strategies, and less frequent message
abandonment.
Discussion includes challenges in item development and classifying items as fluency- OR
accuracy-oriented, self- versus rater-assessed abilities, and interview comments.
Hayes-Harb, Rachel (University of Utah)
Cotsonas, Diane (University of Utah)
Content Effects in Native English-Speaking Students' Adaptation to the Speech of ITAs
International teaching assistants (ITAs) experience a number of challenges associated with their
teaching duties. A common difficulty is the belief among students that ITAs’ speech is difficult
to understand (e.g., Rubin & Smith, 1990). While non-native speech can result in reduced
intelligibility relative to native speech, we have seen that native listeners can adapt quickly and
effectively to non-native accents (e.g., Clarke & Garrett, 2004; Bradlow & Bent, 2008). Maye,
Aslin & Tanenhaus (2008) provided evidence that adaptation to an unfamiliar accent may be
After listening to the vowel-shifted passage, subjects who had previously rejected auditory forms like
‘lev’ (vowel-shifted version of ‘live’) as non-words became more likely to accept them as real words,
presumably due to new phonetic-to-lexical mappings developed during adaption. In the present
work we ask whether the ability to create these new mappings is dependent on
subjects’ familiarity with the vowel-shifted words and/or their predictability in context. To the
extent that contextual/lexical cues may be weaker in ITA speech (lectures involve new concepts
and lexical items), students may be less able to adapt to when speech contains highly-predictable,
high-frequency words. We asked volunteer ITAs to read ‘easy’ (e.g., gardening) and ‘hard’ (e.g.,
oxidation) English passages, in addition to a set of test sentences containing high-frequency
keywords. Native English-speaking college students listened to either the ‘easy’ or the ‘hard’
passages produced by one of the TAs, and were then asked to transcribe the test sentences
produced by the same ITA. The transcription accuracy results reveal that while native English
listeners all benefitted similarly from the ‘easy’ adaptation condition, subjects exhibited
significantly more inter-subject variation in the ‘hard’ condition. We discuss pedagogical and
programmatic implications for this finding.
Henrichsen, Lynn (Brigham Young University)
Adult student’s perspectives on the benefits of pronunciation instruction
In the history of research on L2 pronunciation learning and teaching, many studies
have focused on a variety of different issues, including…
• Factors affecting L2 pronunciation accuracy (Guiora, et al., 1972; Olson &
Samuels, 1973; Piske, MacKay, & Flege 2001; Purcell & Suter 1980; Suter 1976)
• Student achievement of pronunciation course objectives under different
instructional conditions (de Bot, 1980; de Bot & Mailfert, 1982; Derwing, Munro,
& Wiebe, 1998; Macdonald, Yule, & Powers, 1994; Madden, 1983; Ramirez &
Stromquist, 1979; Yule, Hoffman, & Damico, 1987; Yule & Macdonald, 1995),
• Native and nonbnative English speakers reactions to English learners’
pronunciation (Hahn, 2004: Riney, Takagai, & Inutsuka; 2005), and
• L2 learners’ perceptions of their pronunciation needs and strategies (Derwing &
Rossiter, 2002).
In contrast, very few studies that examined students’ perspectives regarding the
value of the pronunciation instruction they receive have been reported. A recent
exception to this trend is a report by Levis, Link, and Sonsaat (2013). Nevertheless,
the largely unanswered question remains: Independent of their actual progress,
how do students feel about the instruction they receive and the learning they
accomplish in a pronunciation class? In other words, did the course meet their
expectations? How worthwhile do they think pronunciation instruction is? After
the course, do they perceive any improvement in their pronunciation? What other
benefits do they perceive? Are they more aware of their pronunciation difficulties?
Do they feel more (or less) confident about speaking? How do they feel about and
use the pronunciation improvement and communication strategies they learned in
the course?
This paper will report on research that replicated and extended Levis, Link, and
Sonsaat’s (2013) study on advanced proficiency, older learners’ confidence
resulting from pronunciation instruction. The research questions were as follows:
1. Did the pronunciation course actually result in measurable improvement in
the students’ comprehensibility and decrease the accentedness of their
speech?
2. How did students’ attitudes, knowledge, and confidence regarding English
pronunciation change over the course of the semester?
3. What pronunciation improvement and communication strategies did
students learn and use outside of class during this course?
The participants were 12 adult students enrolled in a university-based advanced
English pronunciation course that met three times a week for a 15bweek semester. They came
from various L1 backgrounds—Spanish, Korean, Chinese, German, and
Japanese. While most were undergraduate university students, some were older
professionals desirous of improving their pronunciation. All had chosen to enroll in
this elective ESL pronunciation course, which focused on both segmentals and
suprasegmentals in communicative contexts and was taught by a TESOL professor
and two undergraduate TESOL interns.
The quantitative analysis showed that students’ comprehensibility and
accentedness did not change significantly from the beginning of the course to the
end. The overall, class average pre-course comprehensibility rating was 4.04 and the
post-course rating was 4.03. Likewise, the average accentedness rating for all
students was 5.11 at the beginning of the course and 5.10 at the end. This finding
was consistent with the results of numerous previous studies on instruction and
pronunciation improvement (Macdonald, Yule, & Powers, 1994; Madden, 1983;
Purcell & Suter, 1980; Suter, 1976).
Despite this apparent lack of progress, the qualitative analysis revealed that
students found that the course was beneficial. First of all, it increased their
awareness of their own pronunciation difficulties. It also helped them build their
confidence in pronouncing English accurately. Interestingly, they reported that
their listening comprehension also increased as a result of pronunciation
instruction. Finally, they valued the pronunciation-improvement (and
communication) strategies that they learned to use outside of class and could
continue to use in the future.
Huang, Meichan (Texas A&M University-Commerce)
Pickering, Lucy (Texas A&M University-Commerce)
Revisiting the Pronunciation of English by Speakers from Mainland China
Pronunciation is a crucial component in achieving intelligibility and effective communication. Many
researchers have closely examined the pronunciation of English by Chinese speakers from various
backgrounds, including Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan (Deterding, 2003; Hung, 2000; Huang,
1996; Levis, 2005; Peng & Setter, 2000; Pennington & Ku, 1993). Less research has been
conducted with Chinese speakers from Mainland China (Deterding, 2005b, 2006; Chang, 1987;
Ho, 2003). The importance of studies of Mainland Chinese speakers cannot be underestimated as
these speakers clearly make up the majority of ESL/EFL learners from this language background.
Several corpora have been built up using recordings from National Spoken English test for nonEnglish major, such as COLSEC (Yang & Wei, 2005) and SWECCL (Wen et al., 2005). However,
these studies are unsatisfactory for phonological study because of the recording quality (Wen et al.,
2008). An exception is Deterding (2005) who has built a corpus of 19 Chinese speakers from major
dialect areas of China, including northeastern provinces of Liaoning, Jilin; the eastern province of
Shandong; and central provinces of Henan, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Anhui and Hunan.
However, the study has an over representation from Liaoning, and it does not include the southern
provinces, such as Guangxi and Guangdong (Deterding, 2006). This study serves as a
complementary study on the pronunciation characteristics of Chinese speakers in English based on
Deterding’s corpus in 2005. Three participants from Guangxi province will be recorded reading the
NWS passage and participating in a short interview. In doing so, we will document patterns that
previous research may have overlooked, and discuss possible teaching applications in the EFL
classroom in Mainland China.
Jiang, Yan (UC Santa Barbara)
Chun, Dorothy (UC Santa Barbara)
The Effect of Listening Context On Native Speakers’ Perception of Mandarin Tones
Mandarin is a tonal language in which word meanings are signaled by pitch differences or tones.
Tone instruction is therefore critical in Mandarin education. Previous studies have relied on native
speakers’ (NS) judgment to evaluate learners’ tonal performance (Wang, Jongman & Sereno, 2003;
Chun, Jiang & Ávila, 2013). This study examines the effect of listening context on NS perception of
Mandarin tones, which contributes to refining the use of human perception to assess tone
production. Four NS listened to 20 disyllabic words spoken by 20 university students in three
separate conditions: (1) pitch only; (2) pitch + segments (consonants and vowels); (3) pitch +
segments (consonants and vowels) + seeing target tone diacritics. In each condition, NS were asked
to identify the tone of each syllable. Their tone identifications were matched to the target tones and
were coded as either “correct” or “incorrect.” Two types of data analyses were performed. First, a
repeated-measure ANOVA was used to compare the average accuracies of tones identified by the
raters in the three contexts. The results revealed that NS perception was significantly affected by the
listening contexts. The perceived tonal accuracy increased when more information was added, as in
Conditions 2 and 3. Second, acoustic analyses were conducted on the tones that were identified
incorrectly in Condition1, in order to examine whether the effect of listening contexts was related to
the learner’s tonal production. A two-way ANOVA was used to compare the deviation in F0 of the
learner’s production from that of the NS. A significant main effect was found in Condition 2, where
raters listened to both the pitch and the segmentals. Results of these analyses indicated that hearing
segments and pitches together increased the precision of NS discriminating learners’ tonal
production compared to hearing pitches only. However, seeing target tones misled NS to
compensate for learners’ tonal production deficiencies. The findings have implications for the
evaluation of tonal performance for research and pedagogical purposes.
Kang, Okim (Arizona State University)
Moran, Meaghan (Arizona State University)
Thomson, Ron (Brock University)
Pronunciation Features of Intelligible Speech Among Different Varieties of World Englishes
In the second language (L2) assessment context, various pronunciation features (i.e., both
segmentals and suprasegmentals) have been identified as they have an impact on the overall
speaking assessment scores (Iwashita, Brown, McNamara, & O’hagan, 2008). There has been
empirical evidence that suprasegmental features alone account for about 50% of the variance in
untrained raters’ assessments of oral English (Kang, Rubin, & Pickering, 2010). Among segmental
errors, significant difference across proficiency levels was found mostly in the high functional load
errors, but not necessarily in the low functional load errors (Kang & Moran, 2014). What is still
unknown, however, is the refined features of pronunciation that can determine the intelligibility of
high-proficiency speakers among varieties of World Englishes (WE). The current study explores
various pronunciation features of WE speakers that can affect listeners’ comprehensibility in a
high-stakes assessment context. Eighteen speakers, three from each of six distinct varieties of
English, have participated (North American, British, Indian, non- Anglophone South African,
Chinese, and Spanish). The majority of them, currently working as university professors, have
recorded their speech by reading the TOEFL CBT listening passages. Listeners (U.S.
undergraduate students, international students, and teachers) rate the WE speech both for
accentedness and comprehensibility. Results will describe and suggest specific pronunciation
features that may or may not be accepted in the testing context. The overall findings will offer
implications for pronunciation pedagogy, test design, enhanced scoring criteria, and rater
development.
Ko, Insung (Washington University St. Louis)
The memory of the mother tongue on the second language articulation of affricates
The current study investigated the exact place of articulation of Korean coronal affricates
produced by native speakers of Korean using the methodology of static palatography, which
collected data from the roof of the mouth as palatograms and from the tongue as linguograms.
This study also compared the articulation of native speakers with the articulation of second
language (L2) learners including heritage language learners and non-heritage language learners.
The palatograms showed that the three affricate phonemes of Korean, /c/, /ch/, and /c*/, are likely
to be articulated as alveolars. The results also revealed that the linguo-palatal contact should be
produced with the tongue blade and the tongue tip, which is significantly different from the
articulation of English affricates. Heritage language learners are believed to have an advantage of
true L2 learners in oral linguistic performance. It was found that L2 learners, heritage language
learners, and native speakers of Korean showed significant differences in terms of the place of
articulation of Korean affricates. While the frontmost contact does not make a significant
difference in the articulation among language background, the midsagittal contact length and side
contact length are measured with a significant difference in articulation (p < .01).
The palatograms for the articulation of affricates in this study showed that second
language learners and heritage language learners might master the place of articulation within a
short period L2 learning time. On the other hand, the linguograms showed that L2 learners
showed a preference to use apical contact in the articulation of Korean affricates, just as they do in
English.
Koffi, Ettien (St. Cloud State University)
Impressionistic and Instrumental Account of the Intelligibility of [ θ ] in Seven Varieties
of L2 English
This is arguably the most comprehensive phonetic study of the allophonic realizations
[ θ ] in L2 English. It involves 10 native speakers of General American English (GAE)
and 67 non-native speakers from seven different language backgrounds: Arabic,
Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Slavic, Somali, and Spanish. Collectively they produced
3701 tokens of [ θ ] as found in the words <things>, <with>, <thick>, <things> read,
recorded, and transcribed by linguists associated with GMU’s Speech Accent Archive.
The results of the quantitative analysis of the impressionistic transcriptions show that
non-native speakers produced [ θ ] accurately 63.28% of the time, compared to GAE
talkers who produced it accurately 97.14% of the time. This suggests that the reports
about the unlearnability of [ θ ] may have been overstated (Jenkins 2007:138). The cases
of infelicitous productions of [ θ ] break down as follows: [ t ] was substituted for [ θ ]
13.13% of the time, [ s ] 9.55%, [ f ] 7.76%, and [ d ] 5.67%. In addition to the
impressionistic data, the occurrences of [ θ ] were analyzed acoustically in keeping with
Labov et al.’s (2006:7, 39) recommended methodology. The acoustic correlates
considered for the instrumental analysis are intensity and center of gravity (COG)
because Ladefoged and Maddieson (1996 for intensity), and Gordon (2002 for COG)
deem them the most pertinent cues for the study of fricatives. Catford’s (1987)
calculations of the relative functional load of pairs of English segments are used in
tandem with the instrumental measurements to assess the intelligibility of [ θ ] in L2accented English. It stems from these analyses that the substitution of [ f ] for [ θ ]
interferes the least with intelligibility because they are aurally and acoustically similar
and also because they occur in free variation in the speech of native speakers from
various dialects of English (Zsiga 2013:449, Ladefoged and Johnson (2015:211) and
Ogden (2009:127). The data also indicate that the substitution of [ s ] for [ θ ] constitutes
the greatest obstacle to intelligibility. COG measurements may help to explain why the
speakers who substitute [ s ] for [ θ ] also have the hardest time overcoming this
fossilized pronunciation pattern. It may be that, as explained in Kenstowicz (1994:237),
they transfer acoustic features from their native languages that are below the threshold
consciousness into their L2 English.
Lima, Edna (Ohio University)
Online pronunciation instruction: Improving speaker comprehensibility and enhancing
learning experience
Because pronunciation is crucial for comprehensibility, pronunciation instruction is
indispensable in foreign/second language learning. The functional load principle (King, 1967;
Munro & Derwing, 2006), segmental versus suprasegmental features, and fossilization (Selinker,
1972) are among the reasons why pronunciation should be part of L2 teaching and learning. A
number of English L2 learners, especially those in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) contexts,
do not receive pronunciation instruction, which leads to many learners with good grammar and
writing skills, but poor pronunciation. One context in which good pronunciation is critical is that
of international teaching assistants (ITAs) providing instruction at American universities. Research
investigating native undergraduate students’ perceptions of ITAs indicates that these students tend
to react negatively to ITAs based on different factors. One of these factors is poor oral proficiency
(Davis, 1991). As part of an ongoing dissertation project focusing on the effectiveness of online
pronunciation instruction on speaker comprehensibility, a fully online pronunciation tutor has
been developed. The tutor was designed to raise ITAs’ awareness of the English language
suprasegmental features and to improve their comprehensibility. The online tutor consists of four
modules: Word Stress, Rhythm, Intonation, and Review. The tutor includes academic vocabulary
so that the ITAs can use what they learn during the pronunciation training in the target language
domain (i.e., academic settings). This presentation introduces the online tutor, addresses the main
principles underlying its development, and discusses implications of this tool for pronunciation
instruction.
References
Davis, W. E. (1991). International teaching assistants and cultural differences: Student evaluations
of rapport, approachability, enthusiasm, and fairness. In J. D. Nyquist, R. D. Abbott, D.
H. Wulff & J. Sprague (Eds.), Preparing the professoriate of tomorrow to teach (pp. 446451). Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt.
King, R. D. (1967). Functional load and sound change. Language, 43, 831-852.
Munro, M. J., & Derwing, T. M. (2006). The functional load principle in ESL pronunciation
instruction: An exploratory study. System, 34(4), 520-531.
Selinker, L. (1972). Interlanguage. International Review of Applied Linguistics, 10(1-4), 209-232.
McCrocklin, Shannon (University of Texas, Pan American)
The Potential of ASR for Fostering Pronunciation Learners’ Autonomy
Despite ESL students frequently reporting a need or desire to work on their pronunciation in
English, pronunciation is often downgraded as a teaching goal and often pushed aside in favor of
other skills (Isaacs, 2009). Students that want to practice outside of class are likely to feel at a loss
because they struggle to monitor their own speech and may not be able to get the feedback
necessary to make improvements to their pronunciation (Beddor & Strange, 1982; Blankenship,
1991). Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) has great potential as a technology that would allow
pronunciation students to get feedback on their pronunciation (Hincks, 2003; Neri, Mich, Gerosa,
and Giuliani, 2008), allowing them to be more autonomous pronunciation learners. This study to
examined the effect of the introduction of ASR on students’ autonomous learning beliefs and
behaviors. Three groups (GC: traditional face-to-face control (n=15), GE1: mostly traditional with
minimal ASR strategy training (n=17), GE2: hybrid with half of class time using ASR (n=16)) were
given a three-week pronunciation workshop on consonants and vowels of English. Changes in
beliefs of autonomy were measured through pre- and post-workshop Likert scale surveys as well as
semi-structured interviews. Autonomous learning behaviors were monitored through self-reports of
behavior during and after the course. Results showed that GE1 and GE2 both significantly
increased their beliefs of autonomy from the pre- to post-workshop survey, while GC did not.
Students primarily pointed to ASR as the reason that they felt more capable of practicing their
pronunciation on their own, stating that the ASR was useful for feedback because they could not
hear their own errors when speaking. GE2 reported significantly more time spent on autonomous
pronunciation learning and more use of ASR than GE1 and GC after the pronunciation workshop.
Miglio, Viola (UC Santa Barbara)
Mexican & Chicano Spanish intonation: Differences related to Information Structure
Intonational patterns are constrained by the architecture of our vocal tract, but such constraints
can be manipulated by the speakers and their speech communities, so as to become
grammaticalized. Even if it is based on phonetic and acoustic correlates (F0, duration, intensity),
intonation is thus part of the phonological system of languages (Gussenhoven 2002), and as such it
is subject to variation and change (Guy 1986). Information structure functions in a similar way: all
languages have a way of encoding 'new' information - information the speaker thinks the hearer does
not know, and 'given' (or 'old') information - information the speaker thinks the hearer already knows
(Clark & Haviland 1977, Prince 1981). The encoding of such differences, however, may well be
language‐specific. Since there are few cross-linguistic studies considering the importance of
information status in intonation (see however Prieto & Roseano 2010), we set out to test two
varieties of Spanish: monolingual Mexican Spanish and Chicano Spanish (as spoken by EnglishSpanish bilingual speakers from California).
Since highly-energetic beginnings are associated with new topics and low--‐ energy beginnings with
continuations (Gussenhoven 2002), we expected a correlation between 'new' information & high
pitch/intensity. The opposite would occur at the end of a sentence: high endings point to
continuation, low endings to finality & end-of-turn (Penfield 1989). Our hypothesis was that there
could be measurable differences in how given-new information was encoded by bilinguals, in
comparison with monolingual Mexican speakers.
The subjects were recorded in a semi-directed interview setting, which we considered would yield
more trustworthy results than reading sentences aloud. As in Röhr & Baumann (2010), our
preliminary results reveal that relatively higher pitch frequencies signal new information, in
comparison to given information, and that items encoding new information also exhibit
proportionally longer stressed and unstressed vowels, to those encoding given information. We
do, however, find cross‐ dialectal variation between monolingual Mexican speakers and
Chicanos, in that the intonation contours of Mexican Spanish speakers are flatter for given
information (L‐L) and rising (L‐H) for new information, whereas in the case of Chicano speakers
they are H‐L for both given and new information, but new information is marked by higher H
pitch, longer vowel duration and more wavy intermediary peaks.
Our findings seem to corroborate Gussenhoven's hypothesis (2002) that some aspects of
intonation seem to be shared cross‐linguistically (vowel length and high pitch for new info), whereas
others are language‐specific (pitch contours).
Muller Levis, Greta (Iowa State University)
Levis, John (Iowa State University)
Benner, Susan (Iowa State University)
Contrastive Stress can be learned – But can it be taught at lower levels?
Sentence stress is perhaps the most important English suprasegmental. It promotes listener
comprehension (L. Hahn, 2004), calls attention to new information (Halliday, 1967), is the only
suprasegmental considered essential for ELF communication (Jenkins, 2002) and seems to be quite
learnable in research studies examining both production and perception (Muller Levis & Levis,
2011; Muller Levis, Levis & Benner 2014; Pennington & Ellis, 2000). These last two studies
examined a very specialized use of sentence stress, contrastive stress (CS), an iconic use of the voice
that calls listeners’ attention to how a word is related to other words in a semantic category
(Bolinger, 1986). CS can call attention to words that are not normally emphasized, as in (1), and to
normally emphasized words with more extreme pitch movement, greater syllable length, and
increased intensity, as in (2). In both cases, CS signals narrow focus (Ladd, 1996) as opposed to
broad focus, the default use of sentence stress.
(1)Did SHE say that?
(2)I want to LEAVE.
CS tends to be taught primarily to advanced students. It also is usually taught simply using rules for
which words to emphasize in a text that students read aloud. But several other things also need to
be taught:
1. the degree of pitch movement to signal CS
2. destressing of any syllables after the CS
3. lexico-grammatical structures to express contrasts (Muller Levis, 2012)
4. the need for student control over these elements in free speech
In this paper, we report on a study in which we taught CS to two classes of intermediate students in
an Intensive English program and compared their improvement to a control group. We discuss our
reconsideration of teaching materials and our use of nonverbal resources including photos of signs,
pictures of places and objects, weather forecast charts, games and numbers. Topics included
weather, math sentences, prepositions of place, expressions of size, colors and sequential listing
devices. At post-test, students showed significantly better performance. Our success suggests that the
iconic use of CS is both teachable and learnable at lower levels of proficiency.
Munro, Murray (Simon Fraser University)
Derwing, Tracey (University of Alberta)
Windows of Opportunity for L2 Fluency and Pronunciation Development
As learners proceduralize their phonological, lexical, and grammatical knowledge of the L2, their
ability to produce extemporaneous speech with fewer hesitations, false starts and pauses may
improve. Such learning may be a natural consequence of ongoing L2 experience, though several
research studies also point to the benefits of instruction focusing on fluency. While many
investigations have considered the cognitive underpinnings of oral fluency, relatively little is known
about long-term L2 fluency development because few studies have probed oral learning trajectories
over extended time periods. In addition, knowledge about the relationship between long-term
fluency and pronunciation development is very limited. As part of a 10-year study comparing two
groups of Mandarin and Slavic language ESL learners (N = 25 per group at the outset), we collected
extemporaneous speech samples at several times. All learners were adult immigrants of low oral
proficiency at the beginning of the study, and all were enrolled in similar ESL classes. Speech
materials were submitted to perceptual evaluations of fluency, comprehensibility, and accent; in
addition, temporal-acoustic measures of fluency were made. While some aspects of pronunciation
learning appeared to be constrained by a window of maximal opportunity during the first year of
residence in an English-speaking environment, listeners’ judgments, as well as measures of pausing,
speech rate, and hesitation phenomena indicated that, for some learners, significant positive
changes in fluency continued long after completion of ESL instruction. However, fluency
improvement was mitigated by some of the same social and individual factors that also influenced
the L2 speakers’ pronunciation development.
Murphy, John (Georgia State University)
Baker, Amanda (University of Wollangong)
Where We’ve Been and Where We’re Going: 1850-2014 and beyond
This paper’s review and analysis of 150 years in the teaching of L2 pronunciation is organized
around four waves of instructional innovations. The first wave began in the 1850s and prioritized
imitative-intuitive ways of teaching. The second wave (1880s-early 1900s) witnessed the formation
of the International Phonetic Association and introduced analytic-linguistic instructional practices.
For much of the 20th century these first two waves vied for teachers’ attention while specialists
defined and illustrated the primary characteristics of L2 phonology, English language phonology in
particular. By the mid-1980s a third wave emerged which introduced teachers to more
communicative means of teaching pronunciation. This third wave was spearheaded by instructional
methodologists and resulted in publication of three genres of communicatively-oriented,
pronunciation-centered resource materials (classroom textbooks, activity recipe collections, and
teacher training texts). It not until the mid-1990s, however, that clusters of empirical researchers
began to explore research questions designed to support pronunciation teaching, a defining
characteristic of the field’s contemporary fourth wave. While the presenters devote most of their
attention to implications for pronunciation teaching characteristic of the third and fourth waves, in a
final section, they predict a probable 5th wave likely to emerge in the coming decade. This
anticipated fifth wave of pronunciation teaching will be characterized by: (1) a continued synthesis
of the first four waves; (2) a sociocultural turn in classroom teaching and teacher development
practices; along with (3) specialist explorations of science/research, values/beliefs, and
apprenticeship models of both classroom teaching and teacher preparation practices.
Offerman, Heather (Purdue University)
Olson, Daniel (Purdue University)
The Effect of Visual Feedback on VOT Productions by L2 Learners of Spanish
Research suggests that pronunciation instruction should be developed and taught in the L2
classroom (Derwing & Munro, 2005; Elliott, 1997) to facilitate production of intelligible and
comprehensible utterances in the L2 (Derwing & Munro, 1997). Although accentedness does not
always create intelligibility issues, it can be the catalyst to negative NS perceptions of L2 learners’
speech (Derwing & Munro, 2009). One distinctive marker of accent among NSs of English learning
Spanish is the duration of aspiration values for the voiceless plosives /p, t, k/ (Lord, 2005). English
plosives are realized as [pʰ] [tʰ] [kʰ] the onset position (Hualde, 2011) with long-lag aspiration
duration values (Lisker & Abramson, 1964), while durations in Spanish are short-lag (Lisker &
Abramson, 1964).
Previous research suggests that the use of visual feedback aids L2 learners in improving various
features of pronunciation (deBot, 1983; Saito, 2007), including segmental features in Spanish
(Olson & Offerman, 2013). The present study demonstrates that the use of visual feedback
treatments aids NSs of American English in producing more target-like realizations of /p, t, k/ in
Spanish. A total of three treatments were carried out, which included showing the Experimental
group spectrograms of NSs’ and NNSs’ Spanish productions with guided teacher instruction.
Generalizability from a controlled task, tokens embedded in a carrier phrase, to less controlled
tasks, such as tokens within novel sentences, continuous speech (story task), and spontaneous
speech (picture task), were measured for the Experimental and Control groups.
Results conclude that the Experimental group improved their aspiration reduction significantly for
each elicitation task from the Pre-test to the Post-test, as well as in comparison to the Pre-test and
Post-test results of the Control group. Of particular interest, participants were able to generalize
more target-like productions into a spontaneous speech task, or the picture task.
Pak, Chin-Sook (Ball State University)
Kuriscak, Lisa (Ball State University)
The effects of peer tutoring on speech production and perception outcomes for learners of Spanish
The need for and benefits of pronunciation instruction have been discussed in recent literature with
calls for more research on the effectiveness of various approaches and methods for explicit
pronunciation instruction (Couper, 2011; Dewing & Munro, 2005; Lord, 2005, 2008; Morin,
2007). This study focuses on upper-level Spanish language students enrolled in a Spanish Phonetics
course and the effectiveness of a service project (tutoring sessions for lower-level language students)
as a pedagogical tool for improving knowledge and production of target-like speech. The tutoring
project (“Pronunciation Clinic”) provided students in this Phonetics class with opportunities to
analyze speech, to explore strategies for teaching pronunciation (as many students in the class are
Spanish Teaching majors), and to support a peer struggling to improve his/her Spanish
conversation skills. In doing so, the semester-long project ultimately aimed to increase the
awareness of students' own pronunciation abilities and improve their production. Based on survey
and speech-analysis data collected from 16 students who completed pre- and post-questionnaires,
pre- and post-audio recordings of their own speech, and reflection journals, this study examines the
effect of such a pedagogical tool on students' production and perception as follows: 1) metalinguistic
awareness of their own pronunciation (i.e., their ability to identify in their own speech both positive
traits and traits that require improvement); 2) changes over time in their attitudes toward Spanish,
including their confidence and their motivation to continue to study and improve in their abilities;
and 3) changes over time in their pronunciation (i.e., in their production of specific vowels and
consonants). In sum, this paper describes the challenges and benefits of this kind of pedagogical
innovation for teaching Spanish Phonetics (both in terms of pronunciation outcomes as well as
attitudinal measures), offers guidelines for those who may want to apply this approach, and suggests
directions for future research.
Qian, Mandy (Iowa State University)
Automatizing the principled identification and extraction of minimal pairs
Minimal pairs, in their highlighting of phonetic contrasts, are used in many areas of language
education such as clinical phonological treatment (Elbert, Rockman, & Saltzman, 1980; Weiner,
1981), pronunciation teaching, research, and materials development (Levis & Cortes, 2008). In
investigations and practices involving minimal pairs, what pairs to select is an important decision.
Practitioners and researchers in general tend to let learner needs inform their choices so that words
are not selected randomly but in a principled way with attention given to word frequency and
positional variation of the phoneme. This process on the one hand improves the suitability of the
selected words for learners with specific proficiency levels and linguistic backgrounds. On the other
hand, it can get laborious especially if approached manually — as is frequently the case.
This presentation introduces a system written in Perl that automates minimal-pair selection. With
variables such as L1 background, word frequency and syllable environment controlled, the
system can identify, select, and extract minimal pairs automatically from the Carnegie Mellon
University Pronouncing Dictionary, a public domain dictionary used as a standard reference for
over 15 years. The selections follow Swan and Smith’s (2001) phonology guide. This guide was
chosen as the theoretical framework because it values learner-centeredness and recognizes that
students speaking different mother tongues struggle with distinct pronunciation errors. Using the
system, minimal pairs are respectively generated for English learners with different mother
languages (e.g. Dutch, German, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, and Korean). These minimal pairs are
directly applicable to classroom and research use. Minimal pairs can also be easily generated for
additional learner groups by the system if error lists for their native languages similar to those in
Swan and Smith (2001) are input.
The beauty of this system is twofold. In practice, it is laborsaving. Pedagogically, it facilitates
conscious minimal-pair selections that cater to diverse learner needs, which ultimately promotes
learner motivation and outcomes (Nunan, 1988; Rodgers, 1969).
References
Elbert, M., Rockman, B., & Saltzman, D. (1980). Contrasts: The use of minimal pairs in
articulation training: clinician manual. Austin, Texas: Exceptional Resources.
Levis, J., & Cortes, V. (2008). Minimal pairs in spoken corpora: Implications for pronunciation
assessment and teaching. In C. A. Chapelle, Y.-R. Chung, & J. Xu (Eds.), Towards
adaptive CALL: Natural language processing for diagnostic language assessment, 197208. Ames, IA: Iowa State University.
Nunan, D. (1988). The learner-centred curriculum. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Rogers, C. R. (1969). Freedom to learn: A view of what education might become. Columbus:
Charles E. Merrill.
Swan, M., & Smith, B. (2001). Learner English: A teacher's guide to interference and other
problems. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Richards, Monica (Iowa State University)
A Comprehensive Analysis of the Word Stress of New General Service List Vocabulary
Michael West’s (1954) General Service List of English Words (GSL) has grounded L2 English
vocabulary acquisition materials (e.g. Coxhead's 2001 Academic Word List) for decades, but an
updated corpus-based list of general English vocabulary has long been needed. Browne, Culligan
& Phillips' (2013) New General Service List (NGSL) fulfills this need with its list of
approximately 3000 vocabulary tokens second language learners of English are most likely to
encounter in a wide variety of academic and nonacademic contexts. This presentation provides a
comprehensive analysis of word stress patterns identifiable in the NGSL, demonstrating that 97%
of NGSL vocabulary falls into eight word stress pattern categories. That is, because research has
repeatedly demonstrated that L2 English intelligibility is substantially impacted by word stress for
both L1 and L2 English listeners (e.g. Field, 2005; Isaacs & Trofimovich, 2012; Zielinski, 2008)
and because, as McCrocklin (2012) points out, several studies have indicated that word stress is
indeed learnable by L2 English speakers, this presentation provides a comprehensive account of
the patterns most important for L2 English teachers/materials developers/learners to target.
Roccamo, Ashley (Pennsylvania State University)
What to Target in Second Language German Pronunciation Instruction:
Findings from the Classroom
In recent years, research has suggested that target-like pronunciation in a second language (L2) does
not seem to be a feasible goal for the majority of adult learners. As such, the main goal of L2
pronunciation instruction has shifted in the direction of increasing intelligibility and a learner’s
ability to effectively communicate in their L2 (Levis, 2005). This is often done by targeting the
segmental or prosodic errors that most hinder a learner’s ability to make themselves understood. A
large body of previous research has worked to identify the most detrimental errors in L2 English;
research has investigated what is most salient to native speakers of English when listening to
accented speech (e.g., Saito & Lyster, 2011) and determined the value of functional load in
segmental instruction (Brown, 1991; Munro & Derwing, 2006). Yet little has been done to identify
the most valuable segments or prosodic features to train in other world languages. This paper
presents a preliminary foray into this area, combining standard native speaker ratings with acoustic
analyses to provide an introductory investigation into which aspects of German pronunciation are
most important for comprehensible and less-accented speech.
This paper presents the results of an analysis of the speech of forty-four L2 learners of German
who received pronunciation training as a complement to their elementary and intermediate level
classes. Three areas of German pronunciation were chosen for training over a period of six weeks,
including lexical stress assignment, voiceless palatal and velar fricatives ([ç] and [x]), and the fricative
and vocalized /r/. Learners completed a word-reading task consisting of 75 German words both
before and after training. Speech samples were subjected to four native German speakers for ratings
of comprehensibility and accentedness, and acoustic analyses of these speech samples were
conducted by two linguists to determine phonetic accuracy.
Results of these analyses will begin to inform researchers and instructors as to which aspects of
German pronunciation are most susceptible to improvement after training, as well as which aspects
are most influential to L2 comprehensibility and accentedness as perceived by native speakers of
German. Ultimately, an analysis of this type can help inform decisions about the focus of German
pronunciation lessons for the highest chance of helping L2 learners of German improve their
pronunciation and become more comprehensible.
Rojczyk, Arkadius (University of Silesia)
Schwartz, Geoffrey (Adam Mickiewicz University)
Balas, Anna (Adam Mickiewicz University)
The production of word boundary C#V sequences in English by Polish learners
While a great bulk research in second-language speech has concentrated on vowels and
consonants as constituting a segmental composition of words, considerably fewer studies have
looked into the acquisition of temporal and spectral properties that are exploited to signal
word boundaries in the target language. In the case of C#V sequences of Polish learners, this
task is complicated by the details of realization of target language voicing contrasts. When the
final consonant is voiced, English shows a kind of liaison processes, by which find out may be
indistinguishable from fine doubt. When the final consonant is voiceless, the liaison process is
not so absolute; the /k/ in like old is not typically produced with aspiration as it is in lie cold. In
both cases, however, glottalization of word-initial vowels, typical in Polish, blocks syllabic
reorganization of words separated by a word boundary. Moreover, in find out, glottalization
reinforces the context for a feature typical of Polish-accented English: final devoicing.
In the current study we investigated the realization of English C#V sequences in the
production of advanced Polish learners. The purpose of the study is to find if, and to what
extent, Polish advanced learners of English are able to attain native-like realizations of wordboundaries by suppressing the tendency to produce glottalization on initial vowels. The material
included two-word phrases such as stand on, tried out placed in carrier sentences. The
measured parameters were glottalization of the word-initial vowels, duration of the preceding
consonant, duration of periodicity of the consonant. These measures were compared to the
participants' default native realization of similar sequences in Polish in order to see not only if
their productions in English approached those typical for native speakers but also to see if they
diverged from their default realizations in L1.
Sakai, Mari (Georgetown University)
Expanding the vowel space: A corpus investigation of native speakers of Greek, Japanese, and Spanish
Greek, Japanese, and Spanish all have a five-vowel inventory. Adult native speakers (NSs) of these
languages often have a difficult time learning English, because their first language (L1) vowel space
must expand to accommodate twelve English monophthongs. Many studies have investigated the
difficulty NSs of Spanish face when trying to perceive and produce the English vowel contrasts that
do not exist in their native language (e.g., Cenoz & Garcia Lecumberri, 1999; Iverson & Evans,
2009), but very few have looked at the vowel productions of NSs of other languages with a similar
vowel system (e.g., Lengeris & Hazan, 2010). By observing the second language (L2) vowel
productions across multiple language groups, we can better understand how the vowel space is
constrained by the quantity of L1 vowel categories.
The current investigation used an audio corpus (the Speech Accent Archive) to measure the /i/ and
/I/ realizations of NSs of Greek, Japanese, and Spanish to determine if the Greek and Japanese
speakers pattern in the same way as the NSs of Spanish. A Hidden Markov Model, called the
Penn Forced Aligner, and PRAAT scripts were used to parse and extract vowel information, and all
tokens of /i/ and /ɪ/ were normalized using the Bark Difference Metric. Preliminary analyses of
individual and group means show that the Spanish speakers did not have separate categories for
these vowels, as expected, but the Greek and Japanese speakers did, although they were far from
English NS targets. Results are discussed in light of the Speech Learning Model (Flege, 1995) and
age of onset. This study adds valuable information to theoretical questions about non-native
phonemic category formation.
Sardegna, Veronica (University of Texas)
McGregor, Alyson (University of Texas)
Effecting Change in Pronunciation Practice Behaviors: The Learners’ Journey
Scholars have long argued that pronunciation instruction empowers learners to improve their
pronunciation skills through self-monitoring and self-practice activities (Dickerson, 1994, Morley,
1991). Evidence in support of this claim has come from instructional interventions investigating prepost gains in pronunciation accuracy after targeted pronunciation instruction (Couper, 2006;
Derwing, Munro, & Wiebe, 1997; Derwing & Rossiter, 2003; Saito & Lyster, 2012; Sardegna, 2009,
2011, 2012; Sardegna & McGregor, 2013). Only recently, however, researchers have started to
investigate individual learner factors contributing to the effectiveness of such interventions
(Sardegna, 2012; Sardegna & McGregor, 2013). Yet, so far little is known about what motivates
students to change their pronunciation practice behaviors, how students go
about changing them, and which changes facilitate or inhibit their pronunciation improvement.
This study employed a qualitative case study methodology to evaluate differences in motivation,
actions, and choice of pronunciation practice behaviors between highly successful and less
successful students from a fifteen-week oral proficiency course. The course raised participants’
awareness of pronunciation problems affecting their comprehensibility, provided explicit
instruction on target features, modeled practice strategies demonstrating how to solve specific
problems, and provided out-of-class practice opportunities. Following Patton (1990) and Yin
(2003), multiple data sources were used to enhance data credibility. These data sources included
open-ended and Likert-scale questionnaires, self-assessments of pronunciation progress, reflective
assignments, and at-home practice trackers.
Findings revealed a multi-componential alignment of learner success factors including increased
awareness and understanding of pronunciation features through teacher scaffold and guided
reflections, prioritized and focus-on-form practice, choice and adoption of effective pronunciation
strategies and practices, and a high motivation to improve. Results provide evidence for an
alignment of success factors differentiating higher from lower achievement in pronunciation
improvement, and support classroom practices based on pronunciation awareness methodology
and teacher scaffold for promoting students’ pronunciation learning. Pedagogical implications will
be discussed.
Sheppard, Chris (Waseda University)
The evaluation of the pronunciation component in a large scale ESP curriculum
This paper describes the process of integrating a pronunciation component into a large- scale
(8,000 students) ESP curriculum. The process is based on Nation’s (2010) curriculum
design framework and is implemented in a four year course in the science and engineering
school at a private university in Tokyo, Japan. First, a needs analysis focusing on the
components requiring improved pronunciation is described. Then, the goals of the
program are discussed, followed by an explanation of the syllabus, including the teaching
methodologies selected and a sample of the materials. Finally, the pronunciation
component of the curriculum is evaluated.
The needs analysis determined that the science and engineering students need to be able to
participate in international research groups, and international conferences. Working with
international peers in these situations requires the ability to produce comprehensible
pronunciation during activities like computer-mediated video conference calls, or giving a
presentation through a microphone or while asking and answering questions from the floor.
To develop these abilities, it was resolved that the focus of the pronunciation education
should be supra-segmental. Specific goals focus on developing stressed and unstressed
sounds, timing and rhythm, and phrasing and pausing during speeches. These decisions
were based on research into the comprehensibility of non-native speech (Kang, 2010 and
Derwing and Munro, 1997).
In the first year the ESP curriculum focuses on developing understanding of English stress
and rhythm, followed by opportunity for form focused, and then meaning focused practice.
The second year develops students understanding and ability to phrase and pause
appropriately during a formal presentation.
This paper ends with a brief evaluation of the attainment of the goals based on both an
acoustical analysis and native-speaker evaluation of student performance, and student
perception of their pronunciation improvement. These results are discussed in terms of their
implication possible curriculum revision.
Sturm, Jessica (Purdue University)
Liaison in L2 French: The effects of instruction
Liaison of words with latent final consonants to words beginning with vowels has proven difficult for
learners of French as an L2. Yet appropriate use of liaison is important for intelligibility as well as
appropriate register. The present research examines the effect of a series of lessons introducing and
explaining liaison on intermediate learners of L2 French. Two groups of FR 301 (5th semester) students
recorded a text at the beginning, middle, and end of the semester. One group received explicit liaison
instruction while the other did not. Results are interpreted in light of Schmidt’s (1990; 1992; 1993; 1994;
1995; 2001) and Robinson’s (1995; 2003) work on attention and awareness in L2 learning.
Tanner, Mark (Brigham Young University)
Bashford, Andrew (Brigham Young University)
Do Oral Corrective Feedback Practices Differ Between ESL and EFL Teachers?
Inherent in the pedagogical purpose of second language teachers is the objective to help students
achieve their language learning goals as efficiently and effectively as possible (Evans, Hartshorn, &
Strong--‐Krause, 2011). When these goals include confident, clear, and intelligible communication,
instruction frequently includes the use of corrective feedback. It is through this feedback that the
learner begins to identify aspects of his speech that need to be retained, modified, or replaced to
enhance intelligibility and the communication of the intended message. Research into oral
corrective feedback practices over the past twenty years has shown that teachers use a variety of
feedback types in the second language classroom, which can be grouped into three main
categories: recasts, explicit correction, and prompts (Lyster & Saito, 2010).
What is unknown is the extent to which research into effective oral corrective feedback practices is
actually informing teacher beliefs and practices in the oral communication classroom. This data is
especially important knowing that in most second language classrooms, the teacher is the only
proficient speaker who not only interacts with a large number of learners (Spada and Lightbown,
2009), but also provides the model of the target language.
This presentation will report on a study that gathered survey data from more than 250 ESL and
EFL instructors with the purpose of exploring their specific beliefs and pedagogical behaviors with
regards to the types and frequency of oral corrective feedback they provide in their L2 classroom.
The study will share data identifying the extent to which teachers in different teaching contexts
were aware of and implemented techniques that SLA research has identified as pedagogically
sound. The presentation will conclude by sharing ways that practitioners can modify their
instructional practices to ensure that oral corrective feedback is being provided to learners in a
way that will better facilitate intelligible, confident, and competent communication in the
second language classroom.
Thomson, Ron (Brock University)
Phonological memory, speech perception and oral fluency
Phonological Memory (PM), a sub-component of working memory (Baddeley, 1986, 2000), is
known to play an important function in first language (L1) acquisition. PMÅs role in L2
development is also increasingly well attested. For example, PM is predictive of L2 vocabulary size
(Masoura & Gathercole, 2005), grammatical ability (French & O’Brien, 2008), and general L2
proficiency (Dufva & Voeten, 1996; French, 2006). There is also preliminary evidence that PM and
L2 speech perception may be linked (i.e., Aliaga-Garcia et al., 2011), as well as PM and L2 oral
fluency (O’Brien et al., 2007).
The present study examines interrelations between PM, L2 English speech perception, and L2
English oral fluency. Thirty low proficiency English learners enrolled in drip feed language classes
in Colombia (i.e., 1-2 hours per week) completed a counterbalanced sequence of tests of PM,
including Serial Non Word Recognition tasks (using prompts comprising L1 Spanish, L2 English,
and unfamiliar Arabic phonological patterns), an English nonword repetition task (recorded
digitally), a high variability English vowel identification task (e.g., Thomson, 2012), and a picture
story description task. Results indicate that PM is partially language specific and that better PM is
strongly correlated with more accurate perception of L2 sounds. PM is also weakly related to oral
fluency. Implications for language training will be discussed, including means for improving L2 PM
by targeting improvement in L2 speech perception.
Vokic, Gabriela (Southern Methodist University)
Statistical Learning in L2 Phonology:
Production of Word-Final Stop Codas in L2 English
Statistical learning is an experience-dependent sensitivity to regularities in the language input that
allows speakers to track both simple (e.g. frequency count) and more complex patterns (e.g.
conditional probability) with the purpose of discovering the underlying structure of language and is
a well-attested phenomenon in L1 learning (Romeberg & Saffran, 2010). The research question
that guided this study was whether L2 learners are susceptible to the same kind of statistical
information in the L2 input, in particular at the phonological level.
To determine whether L2 learners are sensitive to frequency effects of L2 sounds, this study
analyzed the production of word-final stop codas in L2 English by Spanish native speakers with
advanced proficiency in L2. In addition to being non-existent in L1 Spanish, word-final stop codas
constitute typologically marked structures, although voiceless stops are less marked in this position
than voiced stops. As such, these structures are known to resist L2 phonological acquisition and
postpone or even escape ultimate attainment.
Data were collected from fourteen adult naive native speakers of Chilean Spanish with advanced
proficiency in English as L2 (as determined by TOEIC) using a digital recorder Marantz CDR 420
and a cardioid microphone Shure Beta 54. Stimuli consisted of relatively frequent (as determined
by SUBTELEXus) English CVC monosyllabic content words with voiceless and voiced stop codas
in word-final position. There were three stimuli per stop segment, amounting to a total of 18 tokens
(9 voiceless and 9 voiced). Three out of four repetition sets were incorporated into analysis. Thus, a
total of 72 tokens per participant and an overall total of 1008 tokens were analyzed. Data were
analyzed perceptually and inter-rater agreement was reached for 93% of the tokens analyzed.
Finally, a descriptive statistical analysis was conducted and a paired samples t-test was performed to
determine the significance level of the results.
Results showed a target sound occurrence rate of 96.1% for voiceless stop codas in word-final
position and a markedly lower occurrence rate of 26.2% in the production of voiced stop codas in
the same position among Spanish-native learners of English as L2. Results obtained for individual
coda segments showed the highest success rate in the production of /t/ in word-final codas, followed
in decreasing order by /k, /p/, /d/, /g/, and /b/. Although between-group results (i.e. voiced vs.
voiceless stops in word-final position) suggest a typological markedness effect, results by individual
stop segment reveal a ranking that significantly overlaps with the frequency of occurrence of stop
segments in the coda position in L1 English reported by Treiman and Kessler (1997), thus
suggesting that sensitivity to high frequency linguistic structures and the ability to extract this
statistical information from speech, attested in L1 speech and attributed to L1 speakers only, is
potentially operative in L2 learners as well. In addition, the findings of this study coincide with
previous research on L2 coda acquisition in that among these advanced L2 English learners feature
change was the most frequently employed coda modification strategy employed by advanced L2
learners, but the results diverge from previous research in that evidence was not found for the claim
that content words and the formal nature of the task correlate with native-like production of wordfinal stop codas.
Zetterholm, Elisabeth (Linnaeus University)
The Girlfriend or the Girl’s Friend: Karen Speakers’ L1 attribute transfer to L2s—a conversational
problem.
This study raises questions about pronunciation transfer from L1s to L2s and provides
observations on the difficulty in changing articulation habits when learning a new language. In one
previous study it is shown that L1 speakers of Karen have problems with the pronunciation of
final stops in Swedish words. The speakers had studied Swedish as their second language and lived
in Sweden for several years. Speakers of Karen, a Sino--‐Tibetan language, do not pronounce final
stops or nasals in their native language and therefore one suggestion of that study might be that this
tendency transfers from L1 to L2. To explore this transfer hypothesis, Karen people in
Minneapolis, USA, learning American English as their L2 were recorded. The recordings
consisted of both spontaneous speech and sentences, read aloud, and written specifically for this
study. These L2--‐learners of different ages have lived in the USA between 6 months and 15 years.
They have all studied English, some of them for quite a short time, but others for a longer period
of time. The results show that many of the L2--‐ learners of English have similar problems as Karen
speakers learning Swedish as an L2, namely, with the pronunciation of final consonants, especially
fricatives and nasals. For example, the speakers do not pronounce the final /s/ in words like girls
and girl’s which can cause conversation problems. The fricative /s/ is of importance in English for
its role in the grammatical form of the genitive as well as being a marker of distinction between
singular and plural. These results strengthen the transfer hypothesis between L1 and L2 for
learners with Karen as their native language. However, there are individual differences in both the
Swedish and the American English L2--‐learners, but no clear correlation with the speaker’s age or
length of time in country.
Poster Abstracts
Al-Mahmoud, Mahmoud (Imam University)
A Test of the Speech Learning Model: Non-native Acquisition of Arabic Sounds
This paper reports on second language (L2) acquisition of non-native sounds. The study examines
American learners’ ability to acquire Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) consonants natively. In
particular, the production of Arabic consonants that are either identical to, similar to, or different
from English by American learners of Arabic is tested against the hypotheses of Flege’s (1988,
1992, 1995) Speech Learning Model (SLM). A reading task elicited L2 non-native productions,
which were later judged by two native speakers of Arabic for their proximity to the native norm.
Preliminary results show that while Arabic consonants that are believed to be identical to English
presented no clear learning difficulty, consonants that are similar or completely new to English
posed a serious challenge. The findings are interpreted in light of the predictions made by the
Speech Learning Model; only partial evidence for the SLM can be instantiated by AE learners’
production of English-identical Arabic consonants as judged by the raters.
Al-Shahrani, Merzin (King Khalid University)
Chan, Kimberly (University of Toronto)
Nonnative or Native: Do students in an upper-intermediate EAP course have a preference?
A small number of studies have addressed the debate comparing native English speaker teachers
(NESTs) and non-native English speaker teachers (NNESTs). However, most of the studies
focused on teacher rather than student opinions. The present study examine ESL students’
perceptions of NEST and NNEST professionals/teachers in Australia - to ascertain whether they
are negative as many administrators believe, or more positive as found in recent academic research.
A total of 10 adult students, from various language backgrounds, were asked to participate in this
study. They registered in an upper-intermediate EAP course, at a private English institute in
Sydney. The data were collected by asking students to write their opinions to a stimulus question.
Their responses to the question were analyzed using a discourse analytic technique. The results of
analysis indicated the following main findings: 1) NESTs emerged as superior in the teaching of
oral skills (Speaking and Pronunciation). 2) NNESTs received the highest praise for their grammar
teaching skills in the “linguistic factor” group. 3) There is a clear preference for NNESTs at all level
of personal factors (Experience as a L2 learner and Affect ). The majority of the participants,
although they see and acknowledge NNESTs’ strengths, prefer attending classes taught by native
speakers. native speakers seem to maintain an advantage over their non-native counterparts. More
attitudinal research needs to be conducted to determine what specific factors are influencing the
students’ perceptions of both NNESTs and NESTs.
Busa, M. Grazia (University Of Padova)
Stella, Antonio (University Of Salerno)
The Acquisition of English L2 Prosody by Italian Native Speakers: Experimental Data and Pedagogical
Implications
There is growing awareness of the importance of prosody for L2 communication. However, L2
prosody is still undertaught in the L2 classroom. There are a number of reasons for this, including
that much is still to be known about L1 and L2 prosody and learners’ L2 prosody acquisition.
To develop methods and materials for enhancing teaching and learning L2 prosody it is necessary
to gain more knowledge about L2 prosody and learners’ acquisition processes. Particularly, it is
important to establish how, in the process of L2 acquisition, prosodic features are transferred from
the L1 to the L2 and how they affect L2 speakers’ intelligibility and communication.
Prosodic transfer has been shown to occur in L2 learners’ speech even after considerable exposure
to the L2 (Mennen, 2007). Also, phonological and phonetic features of L2 intonation may be
subjected to different acquisition rules: while L2 learners may eventually be able to acquire the
phonology of L2 prosody, they may rarely acquire the phonetics (Ueyama, 1997; Mennen, 2007;
Stella, 2012).
This paper investigates intonation patterns of Yes-No questions in Italian L1, English L1 and
English L2. The study aims to: 1) provide a description of the varieties under investigation; 2) throw
light on learners’ L2 intonation acquisition strategies; 3) investigate the perceptual effects of
learners’ L2 intonation. The results of this study will contribute to both general and applied
linguistics theory as well as English L2 pedagogy.
For the production study, the corpus consists of 4 target Italian words and 4 comparable English
words, all consisting of sonorant segments, and stressed on the antepenultimate or the penultimate
syllable (for Italian: Melania, Banane, Lamina, Mobile; for English: Memorial, Banana, Normandy,
Memory). The words were contained in mini-dialogues of question-answer pairs, and read 5 times
by 4 Italian speakers (Padova area, North-East Italy) and 3 English female speakers (London area,
UK). The analysis focuses on the nuclear intonation contours (pitch accent and edge tone) of the
target words occurring in sentence-final position in Yes-No questions (e.g., Italian: Hai sentito la
Melania?; English: Will you attend the memorial?).
The results provide evidence of the fact that 1) speakers can choose from different alternative
intonation patterns to realize the same grammatical function; 2) speakers may acquire the correct
phonological categories of the L2 intonation but may implement them transferring the phonetic
features of their L1; 3) phonetic and phonological details of the L2 intonation may be acquired at
different stages in the L2 development, with phonological categories being acquired earlier than
phonetic ones.
The perceptual studies, aimed to investigate the communicative effects of the observed variation,
are in progress. This study shows that phonetic-phonological analyses can provide important details
on the learning processes of L2 intonation. It is the authors’ belief that, as more data on L2 prosody
becomes available, an impulse to the development of appropriate methods and materials for teaching it
will follow.
References
Mennen, Ineke. “Phonological and Phonetic Influences in Non-Native Intonation.” In Jurgen
Trouvain and Ulrike Gut, Eds. Non-native Prosody: Phonetic Descriptions and Teaching
Practice, 53-76. The Hague: Mouton De Gruyter, 2007.
Stella, Antonio. Allineamento Articolatorio dei Toni nella Produzione dell'Intonazione L2.
Unpublished Ph.D. Thesis. Università del Salento, Lecce (Italy). 2012.
Ueyama, Motoko. “The Phonology and Phonetics of Second Language Intonation: The Case of
“Japanese English””. In Proceedings of the 5th European Speech Conference, 2411-2414.
1997.
Crabtree, Janey (University of Virginia)
Putting It All Together: From Pronunciation Analysis to Pronunciation Pedagogy
Pronunciation research states that intelligibility and comprehensibility can change without a shift in
accent (Munro & Derwing, 1995), but do TESOL teacher trainees (TTs) internalize this research,
and how do they put this knowledge into practice to devise effective plans for language learners who
may still have features that are affecting comprehensibility?
In this paper, the analysis of one speaker and plans for that speaker are examined from eleven
TTs. All TTs were aware of the research and terms covering intelligibility, comprehensibility, and
accent as well as functional load (Munro & Derwing, 2006). All TTs analyzed the same speech
sample (a Vietnamese male speaker, age 21) from the George Mason Speech Archives website
(Weinberger, 2014), and then wrote hypothetical lesson plans based on their analysis. While many
of the TTs focused on greater comprehensibility, particularly those elements listed in Linda Grant's
(2001) pronunciation profile in the Well Said: Pronunciation for Clear Communication text as well
as guidelines for comprehensibility outlined by Isaacs and Trofimovich (2012), comments in the
TTs' analyses as well as plans devised to address pronunciation issues suggest that TTs are not quite
sure what features are tied to accent and what features to focus on to make learners more
intelligible & comprehensible. Findings suggest that more rigorous training and discussion of
comprehensibility and intelligibility as well as unpacking of these terms needs to be conducted for
teachers in training.
Deguchi, Masanori (Western Washington University)
The role of pitch contours in teaching vowel length distinctions in Japanese
Vowel length distinctions have perpetually troubled both learners and teachers of Japanese. In this
presentation, I explore the possibility of capitalizing on qualitative cues, rather than the traditional
quantitative cues (e.g., the number of morae), in teaching the said distinctions. In particular, I
demonstrate that pitch contours provide a more reliable cue in discerning long vowels from their
short counterparts. I achieve this goal from the following two directions. First, I point out that
phonetic experiments (e.g., Kinoshita et al 2002) have shown that native Japanese speakers rely on
pitch contours in distinguishing vowel lengths when the quantitative cue is not reliable. I also
demonstrate that, given the restrictions on pitch accent in Japanese, pitch contours in long vowels
realize in systematic and limited ways. Specifically, I illustrate that long vowels in accented words
(VV) are pronounced in the High-Low pitch pattern (HL); long vowels in unaccented words (VV)
are pronounced in either the Low-High pitch pattern (LH) or the High-High pitch pattern (HH).
Second, I discuss some of the reasons why the qualitative cue is not reliable or useful in teaching
vowel lengths. For example, Hirata (2004) has shown that long vowels and short vowels overlap with
each other in duration across different speaking rates. In addition, given that minimal pairs
contrasting vowel lengths are scarce in Japanese (Vance 2008), it is not practical to rely on the
quantitative cue in training students to distinguish long vowels from short vowels.
References
Hirata, Y. (2004) Effects of speaking rate on the vowel length distinction in Japanese. Journal of
Phonetics.
Kinoshita, K. at al. (2002) Duration and F0 as perceptual cues to Japanese vowel quantity.
Perception.
Vance, T. (2008) The Sounds of Japanese
De Meo, Anna (University of Naples L’Orientale)
Vitale, Marilisa (University of Naples L’Orientale)
Putting Italian vowels in the mouths of Russian and Chinese speakers
The present study investigates the role of vowels in the assessment of a non-native accent, through both
acoustic and perceptual approaches to the analysis of L1 and L2 Italian speech. To this purpose, 5 Italian, 5
Chinese and 5 Russian female speakers were instructed to read and record a short Italian text containing the
whole vocalic inventory of the Italian language. The involved non-native speakers had an advanced level of
competence of Italian and a strong foreign accent perceptually assessed. A spectro-acoustic analysis of
stressed and unstressed Italian vowels, in closed and open syllables, was carried out: F1-F2 and duration
values were detected for each of the 360 selected vocalic elements; formant values were normalized.
Furthermore, a perceptual test was also arranged. To this end, the native Italian speaker that received the
highest rating as standard accented voice (pre-test) was selected and used both as donor and receiver of a
vowel transplantation. Non-native vowels were transplanted into the native voice and native vowels were
transplanted into all the non-native voices.
The audio files thus obtained, together with the original productions, were administered to a group of native
Italian listeners, who were asked to assess the degree of foreign accent on a three-point scale.
The comparison of the formant values has shown that for the stressed vowels the Chinese speakers use an
area similar to the native Italian one, but realize only 5 vowel sounds instead of the 7 typical phonemes of
standard Italian, while a general backward shifting can be observed in the Russian vocalic areas. The
centralization phenomenon, occurring for the Italian unstressed vowels, is present in the Russian speakers,
while it is absent in the Chinese productions.
Data concerning vowel durations and perceptual test outcomes are still being drawn up and results will then
be discussed in details.
De Moras, Nadine (Brescia University College)
The effects of L1 in the syllabification of French
Linking is a marker of fluent speech (Hieke, 1984). Syllabification is one component of linking.
French encourages open syllabification, favours consonant-vowel contexts (Delattre, 1947), and
avoids vowel-consonant contexts. This includes enchaînements (comparable to English), and
liaisons, which are unique to French.
Syllabic equality, syllabification, resyllabification of French liaisons and enchaînements are difficult
to master for all L2 learners of French (Charliac & Motron, 1998) and are particularly difficult for
non-native speakers of French (NNS), whose L1 has a closed syllabification, including Anglophones
(Lambert-Drache, 1997).
This study examines the productions of enchaînements, liaisons, and more specifically unlinked
liaisons (non-native form), of Anglophones and other NNS of French. The results indicate that
Anglophones seem to have more difficulty in syllabifying French and pronouncing liaisons and
enchaînements than other NNS.
Majority Francophones produced 95.6% of obligatory liaisons, while all L2 learners produced
60.9%, out of which Anglophones produced 58.7%, and other L2 learners between 66.1% and
68.6% before intervention.
After intervention, Anglophones produced 66.4 % of liaisons and other NNS between 76.8% and
82.4%. Even though all groups’ production increased, the trends remain the same and
Anglophones still pronounce fewer liaisons than other L2 learners.
This study explores the progress of various L1 learners achieved after intervention, the effects of an
L1 in the syllabification of French, and the elements which prevent linking.
References
Charliac, L., & Motron, A.-C. (1999). Phonétique progressive du français avec 600 exercices.
Principes de phonétique française à l’usage des étudiants anglo-américains. Vermont : Middlebury
College, 2e édition.
Delattre, P. (1947). La liaison en français, tendances et classification. The French Review, 21 (2),
148-157.
Hieke, A. E. (1984). Linking as a marker of fluent speech. Language and Speech, 27, 243-354.
Lambert-Drache, M. (1997). Sur le bout de la langue: introduction au phonétisme français.
Toronto: Canadian Scholars Press,
Heider, Abeer (Qatar University)
Bellakova, Anna (Ruiya Al.Yawm TV)
TV Arabic Speech markers – analysis
Throughout the history of mass media, Modern Standard Arabic, or Fusha, was mostly used as the
primary language. Though, it should be mentioned that lately some TV-channels use dialects of
Arabic in their broadcasting.
Given the dominance of high-register Arabic in the official sphere, it is worthwhile analyzing how it
is spoken (especially spontaneously) in television broadcast settings. It becomes possible to
demonstrate that the language of television, in this case televised Arabic (like a language in general)
is not a monolithic structure but has regional and social variation (Chambers, Trudgill and
Schilling- Estes, 2004 (3). Specific morphological, lexical and syntactic markers allow us to identify
the influence of the speaker’s native dialects on their spoken Modern Standard Arabic; how a
person speaks provides information about regional and social background (Laver, 1994 (4).
This particular study was conducted on 50 video pieces. Main sample criteria was use (or attempt to
use) of fusha as a mainly spoken language during spontaneous interview. The language analyzed in
the videos can be characterized as “mixed” or “modified classical” (Classical Arabic with dialectal
mixtures) after Blanc (1). It can be also placed on Badawi’s (2) 3-rd and 4-th linguistic levels
(“Educated spoken Arabic” and “Semiliterate spoken Arabic” accordingly).
Identifying specific features of native spoken Arabic reveal certain kinds of markers to linguists and
Middle Eastern specialists, which allow verification of speaker origin and to enlarge comprehensive
abilities.
These markers can be divided into two groups: linguistic
and extra-linguistic. The first group
is broken down into the following subgroups: specific phonetic features (pronunciation of emphatic
consonants in Morocco), morphological characteristics (such as use in Levantine and Egyptian
dialects of a b-prefix of the verb, which shows modus indicativus or progressive, habitual aspect),
lexical factors (use of the word like “afandi” in Egypt), syntactic changes typical of the dialect
(question word generally comes at the end of a sentence, but not at the beginning like in Fusha).
Analysis of these specific speech characteristics has not only scientific but practical importance.
Study results may provide an important basis for developing didactical materials for Arabic
language courses for foreigners, because often non-native students, who study Arabic, have
difficulties with regional specificity of native speakers’ language and the influence of dialects on the
latter.
Ghanem, Romy (Northern Arizona University)
The Influence of Linguistic Stereotyping on Grammaticality Judgments of Oral Productions
Linguistic and reverse linguistic stereotyping have been shown to negatively affect native and
nonnative speakers’ perceptions of the speaker and the utterance s/he produced. This study
specifically investigates native speakers' perceptions of the grammaticality of utterances (based on
the Lev-Ari & Keysar (2010) study). Using the matched-guise technique, the researcher will conduct
two experiments: the first one investigates reverse linguistic stereotyping by eliciting grammaticality
judgments from sixty American undergraduates. Two nonnative speakers produce a series of
sentences, half of which are grammatically inaccurate. The participants, however, are led to believe
that the productions come from one native speaker and a highly proficient nonnative speaker. The
researcher also investigates linguistic stereotyping by having participants make the same
grammaticality judgments in relation to two speakers: a heavily accented and a native one. In this
case, there are no guises and the audio files are the only instrument used. The results of this study
have implications on both academic (such as the language proficiency of an international teacher or
student) and non-academic settings (such as professionalism of a businessman).
Holt, Eric (University of South Carolina)
Linguistic factors in the acquisition of connected speech in second language Spanish
Studies of pronunciation in Spanish SLA have mainly focused on segmental aspects. The present
study targets the area of connected speech:
Synalepha (V-V linking across words):
Juan retó a su hijita. ([swi])
Resyllabification (C-V linking across words):
Le faltan elementos. ([ne])
Previous research analyzed English-speaking advanced learners’ improvement during the
course of three treatments (study abroad; explicit instruction; other course), and addressed research
questions regarding the different modes and types of exposure to Spanish and their effect on
accurate pronunciation, the degree to which explicit instruction predicts improvement of
pronunciation, and the relationship between fluency and accurate pronunciation. While more
careful styles of speech are thought to favor more accurate production, for connected speech
phenomena, we might expect that increased speed would lead to better production of synalepha
and resyllabification. However, previous results suggest this is not fully the case, and that there may
be additional linguistic variables at play. Statistical analyses address the following research questions
that test the hypothesis that otherwise phonologically-motivated linking will be inhibited by stronger
prosodic and structural boundaries:
a. Does vowel quality of the items/syllables linked affect rate of linking? (C-V, V-V)
b. Does word category (lexical/content vs. grammatical/function) of the items linked affect rate
of linking? (C-V, V-V)
c. Does morphological category (e.g., plural vs. verbal /–s/, stem-final or verbal /–n/, etc.) of
the C or V of the items/syllables linked affect rate of linking? (C-V, V-V)
d. Does syntactic phrasal structure of the items/syllables linked affect rate of linking? (C-V, VV)
e. Does prosodic stress of the items/syllables linked affect rate of linking? (C-V, V-V)
The results of this study contribute to the field of acquisition of Spanish phonology by English
speakers, including both in classroom-based learning and full immersion settings, providing insight
into subtle contextual and linguistic factors that influence the degree of mastery of elements of
nonnative phonology.
Jolley, Caitlin (Brigham Young University)
Tanner, Mark (Brigham Young University)
The Impact of Computer -Aided Pronunciation Training on Suprasegmental Perception and Production
Skills in an ESP Program
Language learning (CALL) over the past few years as a means to provide individualized instruction
and immediate feedback to learners on the correctness of their responses (Nagata, 1993). Another
advantage of technology is that it also provides the opportunity for learners to practice at a time that
is convenient for them outside the classroom (Chun, Hardison, & Pennington, 2008). Some of this
technology provides visual displays and spectrographic analysis to learners as a means of comparing
their production with that of a native speaker (Anderson -Hsieh, 1992, 1994; Hardison, 2004;
Molholt, 1998). This type of feedback though focuses largely on segmental production (Breitkreutz,
Derwing, & Rossiter, 2002) and is often best facilitated through teacher supervision and
interpretation
With research showing the benefits of pronunciation instruction aimed at suprasegmentals
(Derwing, Munro, & Wiebe, 1997, 1998; Derwing & Rossiter, 2003; Hahn, 2004; Kang &
Pickering, 2011), the question still exists how to facilitate the perception and production of
suprasegmentals in a self -directed learning environment with limited or no teacher involvement.
This presentation will report on a study conducted with 25 ESL learners participating in an eight week intensive English for specific purposes (ESP) program where language instruction comprised
4 hours of their daily activities, with one of these hours spent in a computer lab completing self directed learning activities. In this lab setting, learners completed a series of 10 tasks designed to
build their perception and production of thought groups, word stress, and intonation patterns.
Using a pre -test/post -test design, speech perception and production samples were collected at
Time 1 (week one of the study) and Time 2 (week eight). Researchers analyzed the influence of the
computer-aided pronunciation tasks on the learners’ perception and production of key
suprasegmental features. Results from this analysis will be shared along with the implications of this
type of training on the development of pronunciation skills in an ESP program.
Khan, Abdul Qadir (University of Azad Jammu & Kashmir)
Pronunciation Errors faced by ESL Pahari Speakers
This study examines the pronunciation problems and the causes of the problems that Pahari ESL
learners, an Indo Aryan language spoken in Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Pakistan, experience as
English language learners. The participants in this study were the BS students studying at the
University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Muzaffarabad. In total, 40 students participated in the
study and they had completed higher secondary school. Presently they were enrolled in graduation.
In order to collect data, six class sessions of one hour each, were recorded and after the
transcription of the data, the mispronounced words were listed by the researcher. Finally, these
participants were given a list of words to pronounce aloud for recording and PRAAT analysis. The
study identifies four English consonants /θ, ð, w, ʒ /, which are problematic for Urdu speakers. It
further shows that these consonants are pronounced with native Urdu consonants: English dental
fricatives /θ, ð/ are replaced by dental stops /t, d̪/, while palatal voiced fricative /ʒ/ and bilabial
approximant /w/ are replaced by voiced palatal approximant /j/ and labio-dental fricative /v/
respectively. Furthermore, it was found that among other factors, English spelling played an
important role in the students’ mispronunciations. Because of the irregularities, students are
unsuccessful when they try to guess the correct pronunciation of words. Another reason of the
mispronunciations is the students’ tendencies to make overgeneralizations. The results of the study
may be useful for teachers trying to teach English to Pahari learners. It is suggested that English
language learners with Pahari background should be properly trained in order to acquire correct
pronunciation.
Khan, Abdul Qadir (University of Azad Jammu & Kashmir)
Qadir, Tayyena Khanum (University of Azad Jammu & Kashmir)
Pronunciation Problems of the Pahari EFL Learners: A Case Study at the BS 4 Year Program, University
of AJK, Pakistan
This study examines the pronunciation problems and the causes of the problems that Pahari EFL
learners experience as English language learners. The participants in this study were the students of
BS 4 Year Program in English, studying at the University of Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Muzaffaraba.
In total, 30 students participated in the study. In order to collect data, six class sessions of one hour
each, were recorded and after the transcription of the data, the mispronounced words were listed
by the researcher. Finally, these participants were given a list of words to pronounce aloud for
recording and PRAAT analysis. The study identifies four English consonants /θ, ð, w, ʒ /, which are
problematic for Pahari speakers. It further shows that these consonants are pronounced with native
Pahari consonants: English dental fricatives /θ, ð/ are replaced by dental stops /t, d̪/, while palatal
voiced fricative /ʒ/ and bilabial approximant /w/ are replaced by voiced palatal approximant /j/ and
labio-dental fricative /v/ respectively. Furthermore, it was found that among other factors, English
spelling played an important role in the students’ mispronunciations. Because of the irregularities,
students are unsuccessful when they try to guess the correct pronunciation of words. Another
reason of the mispronunciations is the students’ tendencies to make overgeneralizations. The
results of the study may be useful for teachers trying to teach English to Pahari learners. It is
suggested that English language learners with Pahari background should be properly trained in
order to acquire correct pronunciation.
Kinoshita, Naoko (Waseda University)
Learner preferences and the learning of Japanese rhythm
Differing levels of student achievement in the classroom create challenges for teachers of
pronunciation to second language learners. One possible explanation for these differences in
success is that they result from mismatch in learning preferences and teaching styles (Peacock,
2001). Investigations into the learning and teaching of Japanese pronunciation have also confirmed
such a style based link in the acquisition of intonation (ie. Nakagawa et al., 2008), and rhythm
(Kinoshita, 2010). Building on this research, Yanagisawa et al. (2013) demonstrated that learning in
the classroom is more effective when learners are encouraged to create their own representational
of Japanese rhythm.
This presentation describes and evaluates a class which fosters learner choice taking into account
variation in individual learning preferences. Multiple learning techniques were introduced during
the teaching of Japanese rhythm, and learners were asked to identify those techniques they believed
were personally most effective. The techniques introduced to the class are 1) clapping, 2) haiku, 3)
visual acoustic analysis (Praat), 4) pronouncing to a beat, 5) grouping rhythmic patterns, 6)
shadowing, and 7) using pronunciation symbols.
A questionnaire at the conclusion of the class demonstrated that learners varied in both the learning
method they preferred, and the number of methods they found useful. Of the 25 participants, 16
preferred a single method. The rest found between two and four effective. Using Praat software for
visual acoustic analysis and shadowing were the most popular (8 selections each), followed by
clapping out the rhythm (7 selections).
Post-hoc testing revealed that the participants significantly improved their ability to perceive
rhythmic minimal pairs when compared to a pre-test of the same words (t (24) = 2.43, p = .023).
They were also able to identify significantly more new contrasts in comparison to the pre-test. (t (24)
= 4.90, p < .001).
Lee, Heeju (UCLA)
The acquisition of Korean prosody by native English speakers and its role on L2 discourse
The current study examines native English speakers’ intonation when speaking Korean during the
ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI). Considerable existing research highlights the importance
of prosody in first language (L1) discourse (Barth- Weingarten et al., 2010; Couper-Kuhlen &
Selting, 1996). However, few studies have drawn careful attention to second language (L2) prosody
at the discourse level and those that do focus on ESL contexts (Pickering, 2009).
The present study uncovers the ways native English speakers of Korean at intermediate and
advanced levels based on the ACTFL guidelines utilize various Korean boundary tones to convey
pragmatic meaning during the OPI. My research also seeks to understand the relationship between
prosodic manipulation and levels of speaking proficiency.
Data comes from oral interviews with ten English speakers (five interviews for each proficiency
level). Prosodic analysis is based on the K-ToBI (Korean TOnes and Break Indices) intonation
framework (Jun, 2000).
Results show that speakers at both levels are able to use Korean boundary tones to reinforce the
meaning of utterance-final suffixes. For example, the assertiveness of the committal suffix –cyo in
Korean is commonly reinforced with low (L) boundary tone (%). However, only advanced-level
speakers are able to change the meaning of the suffix by manipulating boundary tones.
Example (1) demonstrates how the advanced-level speaker C uses the boundary tone to mitigate the
assertiveness of the suffix –cyo. The interviewer asks whether C is living with roommates or by
himself, presuming that C is not married (line 1). C’s subsequent response rwummeytu kathi sal-cyo
‘I am living with a roommate’ ends with – cyo and LH% (line 2). The hesitation marker ah and the
repair phrase ce kyelhonhay-ss- eyo ‘I’m married’ delay the response because neither option posed
in the question is accurate for C. In the delayed response, C shows his higher epistemic stance
when discussing his personal life (i.e., the roommate status) with –cyo while mitigating the
assertiveness with LH%. The high (H) tone of LH% makes the assertive –cyo equivocal and
tentative (Park, 2003). The H tone further passes the turn to the interviewer and invites her to infer
the implied message, which is ‘I am living with my wife’. In contrast, intermediate level speakers do
not display such use in my data.
Example 1
1 Int.:
2 C:
룸메이트하고 같이 사세요 아니면 혼자 사세요?
rwummeytu:hako kathi sa sey-yo animyen honca sa-sey-yo roommate-with together live-hon-Q:POL
or alone live-hon-Q:POL
‘Are you living with roommates or by yourself?’
아 저 결혼했어요. 그래서 룸메이트 같이 살죠
a ce kyelhonhay-ss-eyo kulayse rwummeytu kathi sal-cyo ah I marry-PST-POL
so
roommate together live-cyo [LH%]
‘Ah, I am married. So I am living with a roommate’
This study, therefore, suggests that boundary tone use seen in the advanced speakers’ data is a
realistic goal for many Korean language learners. The results also indicate that prosodic
manipulation serves as a good indicator of speaking proficiency in L2 and that the assessment
results are likely to reflect the participants’ prosodic fluency. It would be helpful if classroom
instructions included prosody and its effect on meaning, which would offer learners a richer set of
linguistic resources. However, as Chun (1988) argues, current L2 education in general ignores the
role of prosody, calling for further research in this area.
Lee, Jackson (University of Chicago)
Matthews, Stephen (University of Hong Kong)
When French becomes tonal: prosodic transfer of L1 Cantonese speakers
Introduction: What happens when native speakers of a tone language learn a non-tone language? In SLA,
prosody arguably receives less attention than such aspects as syntax and segmental phonology. This paper
fills this gap by studying a lesser-known case: L1 Cantonese speakers learning French. Cantonese is a tone
language where every syllable has a lexical tone (Matthews and Yip 2011), whereas French does not have
lexical tones or word stress (Di Cristo 1998). We report and analyze the prosodic properties of the
interlanguage French by L1 Cantonese speakers.
Data: We collected classroom French speech from Hong Kong university students with L1 Cantonese. In
their French, the learners systematically used (i) Cantonese H(igh) level tone for content words and (ii)
Cantonese L(ow) level tone for function words.
Analysis and implications: Where does the span of H for content words come from? We argue that,
because syntactic phrases in French often end with a high pitch accent on a content word (Di Cristo 1998),
Cantonese speakers associate high pitch with French content words and extend the high pitch accent to all
syllables of content words, cf. H in Hong Kong English for stressed syllables (Luke 2000, Cheung 2008,
Gussenhoven 2012) and tonal patterns in Central African French (Bordal 2012). Function words have a
lower functional load for communication and, for a contrastive purpose, receive L instead. Under this
analysis, the French-Cantonese interlanguage systematically exploits tone in distinguishing grammatical
status of words, drawing on language-specific prosodic properties from both French and Cantonese, on the
one hand, and the potentially universal fundamental distinction between content and function words, on the
other.
References
Bordal, Guri Haug. (2012). Prosodie et contact de langues: le cas du système tonal du français centrafricain.
PhD dissertation, University of Oslo.
Cheung, Winnie H.Y. (2008). Span of High Tones in Hong Kong English. HKBU Papers in Applied
Language Studies 12.
Di Cristo, Albert (1998). Intonation in French. In Hirst, Daniel and Albert Di Cristo (ed) (1998).
Intonation systems: a survey of twenty languages. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Gussenhoven, Carlos (2012). Tone and intonation in Cantonese English. The Third International
Symposium on Tonal Aspects of Languages, Nanjing, May 26-29.
Luke, Kang-Kwong (2000). Phonological re-interpretation: the assignment of Cantonese tones to English
words. Paper presented in the 9th International Conference on Chinese Linguistics, National University of
Singapore, June 2000.
Matthews, Stephen and Virginia Yip (2011). Cantonese: A Comprehensive Grammar. London: Routledge.
2nd edition.
Lucic, Ivana (St. Cloud State University)
Acoustic Production and Perception Analysis of Montenegrin English L2 Vowels
Accurate pronunciation of L2 sounds is one of the most challenging parts of second language
acquisition for ESL/EFL learners. Based on previous research, both production and perception of
sounds are equally important in the process of learning pronunciation. Even though many factors
influence the success of accurate production and perception of sounds, it is possible for adult
learners to improve their L2 pronunciation. This study provides an acoustic analysis of
Montenegrin vowels, in order to make a comparison with the already existing measurements of
General American English vowels. Also, a production analysis is done on Montenegrin learners of
English, which shows the vowels that are the most problematic in their L2 pronunciation. In
addition to this, a two-way perception study was also conducted with the participants. American
native English speakers listened to eleven GAE vowels produced by Montenegrin speakers of
English, and tried to indicate which vowels they heard, while Montenegrin speakers of English did
the same after listening to native GAE speakers. The study showed that some vowels are easy for
Montenegrin speakers to produce and perceive. However, certain vowels (e.g. the ones that are
present in English, but not in Montenegrin), caused problems for participants in both production
and perception analysis. This research helps determine the causes of miscomprehension between
native speakers of GAE and Montenegrin EFL learners. The goal is to help learners and teachers
of ESL/EFL provide better quality instruction for Montenegrin learners, by giving them more
information on the problematic differences in the vowel systems of Montenegrin and English.
Margolis, Douglas (Univ. of Wisconsin, River Falls)
Pronunciation Features Affecting Comprehensibility
Recent dialogues on English as a Lingua Franca suggest that native speaker norms, assumed by
terms like "ill-formed" or "non-native-like," are not appropriate goals for most language learning
contexts, making it rather awkward for researchers and teachers to articulate standards for speaking
and pronunciation. This study aims to identify phonological and prosodic features that most
contributed to reduced comprehensibility for undergraduate students, in order to determine what
features to prioritize for instruction, assessment, and feedback. Speech samples were collected from
11 L1 Korean and 11 L1 Mandarin English language learning university students in Korea and
Taiwan, respectively. Each speaker completed three tasks: (a) reading a script that included a short
text followed by 15 isolated sentences, (b) comparing two pictures, and (c) narrating a short story
prompted by six pictures. These samples were analyzed for idiosyncratic phonemic and prosodic
features. Then a class of 20 undergraduate students rated the speech samples for comprehensibility
and completed a paraphrasing task for the picture description speech samples. This paper reports
the pronunciation features most associated with low and high comprehensibility and differences in
rater reliability by task.
)yaffzeeinU,laffffzeuS(,hetfbfledbt ,hatfoM
The acquisition of Arabic geminate consonants by American English speakers: An experimental study
This study investigates the acquisition of some Arabic geminate consonants by American English
speakers learning Arabic. The study starts by describing the phonetic and phonological
characteristics of geminate and long consonants and how they differ in nature and distribution from
singleton consonants. Two groups of native and non-native speakers (American learners of Cairene
Arabic) were recorded as producing one sentence that carries the token geminate consonants. The
productions of the Arabic geminate consonants by the two groups are described and compared to
study the features of such geminate sounds when produced by non-native learners of Arabic. The
phonological and phonetic characteristics of these consonants in the production of the non-native
group are discussed to see how far they were successful in their overall achievement of the task they
were assigned in the experiment. The results of the production study show that non-native speakers
of Cairene Arabic produced significantly longer Arabic geminates in general, particularly stops and
nasals. Non-native informants also produced significantly different adjacent vowels to the target
geminates from those produced by the native informants in the study. A perception experiment was
carried out to verify the acceptability of the produced sounds by non-natives using native speakers
of Cairene Arabic as listeners. Native listeners were able to identify the production of Arabic
geminates by non native speakers as different in the present study. The results of the perception test
e.clearly reflect the findings of the production experiments
Nyemer, Kayla (Brigham Young University)
Tanner, Mark (Brigham Young University)
Linguistic Parameters that English Language Learners Use to Identify General American Accents
It is generally believed that native English speakers are "good" judges of English accents, meaning
that native English speakers are generally thought to be able to discern native English accents from
foreign English accents with ease. Indeed, several studies have investigated native English speakers'
perceptions of English accents (Flege, 1984; Kang, 2010; Kang, Rubin, & Pickering, 2010; Munro
& Derwing, 2010; Rochet, 1995). As Jenkins (2000) suggests, however, few studies have
investigated non-native English speakers' perceptions of accent. There is thus little information
about how non-native English speakers are able to determine when they have reached their
intelligibility goals because additional research is needed regarding how non-native speakers
perceive native accents compared to non-native accents.
In 2005, Riney, Takagi, & Inutsuka conducted a study wherein native English speakers and
Japanese speakers of English listened to speech samples of Japanese speakers of English and native
English speakers for the purpose of determining if the two sets of participants judged accents
differently from each other. Their results showed that the Japanese listeners relied on different
cues than the American listeners to determine whether an accent was native or not.
The study reported on in this presentation replicated Riney, et al’s (2005) study, but in addition to
Japanese and American speech samples and listeners, Spanish speakers of English were also
included. Listeners rated each speech sample as sounding either American or not American for
the purpose of determining: 1) If the non-native English speakers were able to distinguish General
American accents from foreign English accents and 2) What linguistic parameters the non-native
English speakers used to identify General American accents from foreign English accents. With
most interactions in English now occurring now between two or more non-native speakers (Jenkins,
2000), the results from this study have important implications for pronunciation teachers seeking to
help second language learners with their intelligibility goals.
Osbourne, Denise (Northern Arizona University)
Assessing double phonemic boundary among Brazilian Portuguese learners of English
Gonzales and Lotto (2013)’s study shows that early Spanish-English bilinguals shift voicing
perception of /b-p/ across language context where phonetic ambiguity occurs (between the VOT
values of -35ms and +35ms). The present study replicates Gonzales and Lotto’s study in order to
investigate whether the same results would occur with late bilinguals.
Similar to Spanish, but differing from English, Portuguese speakers prevoice initial /b d g/, and
produce initial /p t k/ with short-lag values (e.g., Klein, 1999). L2 perception might then be affected,
contributing to L2 learners’ poor performance, since L2 learners of English, especially adults, are
not always sensitive to these relevant, but fine-grained, differences (e.g., Imai et al., 2005).
Participants will take part in a phonetic boundary perception experiment, consisting of two separate
sessions, one in English and another in Portuguese. The speech material comes from Gonzales and
Lotto (2013)’s study. The participants’ task is to decide if they hear /b/ or /p/ in continua from bafri
to pafri (pseudowords in both languages).
The main research question is: Will Brazilian Portuguese learners of English, across different levels
of proficiency, demonstrate the acquisition of English stops on a phonetic level when identifying
English stops produced as part of a continuum? It is expected that higher-level proficient learners
of English demonstrate language-specific boundaries (e.g., where phonetic ambiguity occurs, /p/ is
likely to be identified in the English session, and /b/ is likely to be identified in the Portuguese
session). Lower-level proficient learners are not expected to show any significant shift in perception
across language contexts.
Data will be collected in May/June in Brazil and preliminary results will be presented. Results from
this study will indicate whether late L2 learners are sensitive to language context, and if that alone
can alter their L2 language perception. Most important, the results will indicate whether late
bilinguals are able to acquire a phonetically separate system for L2 stops, despite the fact that they
have started learning English relatively late in life, and that their learning environments have been
centered primarily in a classroom context.
References
Gonzales, K., & Lotto, A. J. (2013). A bafri, un pafri: Bilinguals’ pseudoword identifications
support language-specific phonetic systems. Psychological Science, 24, 2135-2142.
Imai, S., Walley, A. C., & Flege, J. E. (2005). Lexical frequency and neighborhood density effects
on the recognition of native and Spanish-accented words by native English and Spanish listeners.
Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 117(2), 896-907.
Kelin, S. (1999). Estudo do VOT no português brasileiro. (Master’s Thesis). Retrieved from
Biblioteca Digital da Universidade de São Paulo
Pfandl-Buchegger, Ingrid (University of Graz)
Insam, Milena (University of Graz)
Evaluating innovative pronunciation training methods in the Austrian EFL classroom
Mastering pronunciation in an L2 has shown to be a challenging task, especially for adult language
learners. Yet foreign-accented speech can have an impact on comprehensibility and thus clearly
plays a vital role for successful communication in multi-linguistic contexts (e.g. Derwing and Munro
1997). Although there has recently been a general consensus on the beneficial effect of
pronunciation instruction (e.g. Couper 2003, 2006; Derwing et al. 1997, 1998), the question
remains which approach will prove most efficient and where to put the focus in the language
classroom. Also, researchers have been investigating whether and to what extent instruction can be
efficiently complemented by technical methods to increase learners’ comprehensibility in the L2. In
this regard, the present study compares two innovative methods for pronunciation teaching and
their effects on the pronunciation proficiency and comprehensibility of Austrian students of
English. The first method aims at improving learners’ pronunciation by enhancing their perceptual
skills. Learners first undergo phases of intensive listening to electronically modified audio materials
highlighting characteristic features of the target language. In the subsequent speaking phases, they
receive corrective auditory feedback through hearing their voice electronically modified.
Preliminary results for this method from previous experiments (in the form of native-speaker
evaluations and acoustic measurements of vowel production) will be presented. In the second
method, students can record their speech and compare it to that of a model native speaker.
Additionally, the method provides them with visual information on articulatory processes (tongue
position graphs) and prosodic features such as syllable timing and pitch contour (audio wave
charts). This second method is currently being investigated in a pronunciation class. In the
presentation, we will discuss these two approaches to pronunciation instruction and focus on
additional influencing factors such as the level of motivation elicited in the subjects by each method.
Pittman, Iulia (Auburn University)
Integration of Pronunciation in First-Year German Textbooks
This paper investigates the ways pronunciation is integrated and taught to first-year students of
German in American colleges. While some students who enroll in first-year German courses have
had some exposure to the language prior to coming to college, for most students the German
college course is their first real German language learning experience. The reasons why focusing on
pronunciation early in the learning experience is important are twofold. On the one hand, students
are well past the critical age for language learning, and attaining good pronunciation in the foreign
language becomes harder and harder with every passing year. Therefore, the earlier we focus on
pronunciation, the better. On the other hand, not focusing on pronunciation from the very
beginning will allow fossilization to occur in students’ speech. The longer these bad habits have to
form, the harder it is to improve them later in the learning process. Thus, the aim of this paper is to
review the ten most popular textbooks used in American colleges to teach first-year German and to
explore the ways attention is given to this important aspect of foreign language learning and the ways
pronunciation can be integrated into teaching.
Poljak, Livia (Simon Fraser University)
Munro, Murray (Simon Fraser University)
Perception of French accents of Immersion Graduates in British Columbia
This research compares the pronunciation of L2 French Immersion (FI) graduates living in British
Columbia with that of Core French (French as a Second Language) and Programme Cadre
(Francophone school) graduates. While many studies have examined the grammar and lexical
knowledge of students in the FI program, this study focuses exclusively on the pronunciation of FI
students. The research will examine the accents of Early (from kindergarten) and Late (from grade
6) FI students who have completed the program to grade 12, and who are currently enrolled in
their first year of University. While other studies have shown that institutions such as schools or
universities can at times produce unique accents when the institution is isolated from the naturally
occurring accents of a region (Jones 1937, Orr 2011), no studies have demonstrated this
phenomenon among FI students. Speech samples from a roughly even mix of 22 FI, Core and
Cadre students were recorded using a delayed repetition task and an extemporaneous narration.
The recordings include 10 mono or disyllabic words for the purposes of French L2 phoneme
isolation, and 7 sentence repetition tasks, for the purposes of global pronunciation analysis. The
final extemporaneous narration was also used to assess overall pronunciation. The speech samples
were randomized and presented to native or native-like French listeners who rated the accents on a
Likert scale of 1 (no accent) to 9 (very heavy accent). In addition, the samples were analysed
acoustically in order to determine similarities (if any) in the accents of FI students. The results will
contribute to the growing research on the Canadian FI program, and will open up new possibilities
for further the research on institutionally formed accents.
Reed, Marnie (Boston University)
Feeding the Beast: First Wave Innovations in Pronunciation Teacher Education
Our scholars talk the talk. Our textbooks walk the walk. But our students don’t get it, and our classroom
teachers don’t know how to run with it. They’re clearly hungry for it. In January 2014, 483 registrants from
31 countries attended a virtual seminar1 on pronunciation instruction, described by the webinar facilitator
as “one of the best we have had.” 2
Our scholars talk the talk. Murphy and Baker (forthcoming) cataloged a sampling of 38 experimental and
quasi-experimental studies published since the mid-1990s that characterize “a modern era of primary
empirical research to inform the work of ESL pronunciation teaching”. Venues like PSLLT and New
Sounds International Symposium on the Acquisition of Second Language Speech will soon be joined by a
new dissemination forum, The Journal of Second Language Pronunciation.
Our textbooks walk the walk. At the TESOL 2002 Speaking and Pronunciation Academic Session, David
Mendelsohn addressed an audience of scholars and materials writers with a provocative challenge: “We talk
the talk but our textbooks don't walk the walk“. While this may have been true of some materials on the
market, acclaimed textbooks informed by current research are available, as are reference materials, a recent
example of which, Pronunciation Myths, is aptly subtitled, Applying Second Language Research to
Classroom Teaching.
Our students often reject prosodic aspects of pronunciation, and “may walk out of class without having
accepted the system at all. Or they may think intonation is simply decorative.”3 Thus, even the most
informed texts, in the hands of teachers unable to convey the communicative functions of prosody, can
produce learners able to “understand the words but not the message.”4
Our ESL/EFL teachers “feel underprepared to teach pronunciation” (Murphy 2014), due, in part, to
“limited attention to pedagogical considerations and instructional techniques” (p. 196) offered in many
MATESOL programs.
This talk explores past and possible collaborations and innovations to satisfy the hunger for pronunciation
teacher education.
1. TESOL Virtual Seminar “15 Content-Based Activities for Incorporating Pronunciation Instruction
Across the Curriculum,” with Char Heitman, sponsored by SPLIS/ IATEFL, 1-29-14.
http://eventcenter.commpartners.com/se/Meetings/Playback.aspx?meeting.id=152258.
2. personal communication, Professional Development Manager, TESOL International Association, 1-312014.
3. Gilbert, J. (2014). Myth 4: Intonation is hard to teach. In L. Grant (Ed.) Pronunciation Myths: Applying
Second Language Research to Classroom Teaching. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press, p. 125.
4. Vandergrift, L., & Goh, C. (2012). Teaching and Learning Second Language Listening: Metacognition in
Action. NY: Routledge, p. 22.
Murphy, J. (2014). Myth 7: Teacher training programs provide adequate preparation in how to teach
pronunciation. In L. Grant (Ed.) Pronunciation Myths: Applying Second Language Research to Classroom
Teaching. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.
Murphy, J., & Baker, A. (forthcoming). History of pronunciation teaching. In M. Reed & J. Levis (Eds.)
Handbook of English Pronunciation, NY: Wiley-Blackwell.
Reeder, Jeffrey (Sonoma State University)
Attitudes toward the teaching of L2 pronunciation among high school Spanish teachers
Of all of the linguistic features, pronunciation is likely to be the one most susceptible to casual judgment.
Nevertheless, there has been widespread disagreement in the field and fundamental shifts over time
regarding how, or even if, pronunciation should be part of the instructional syllabus. One result of this
disagreement is that language teachers must choose between aligning their instructional practices to
behaviorist approaches or to ascribe to the intelligibility principle; many simply gravitate by inertia to some
middle ground between the two. Previous research has suggested that teachers rely on intuitive judgments to
decide how to teach pronunciation and which features to emphasize or ignore. Given that implementation
of advances in the field depend to some degree on language teacher attitudes toward the teaching of L2
pronunciation, the present study attempts to measure L2 Spanish teacher attitudes toward pronunciation
instruction and toward the importance of pronunciation itself. This investigation applies the methodology
presented in several earlier studies on L2 English to the field of L2 Spanish instruction. The data for this
study come from surveys of several dozen teachers of Advanced Placement (AP) Spanish. AP Spanish is
typically the highest attainable course level in the high school curriculum, just as the AP teachers are usually
among the most qualified and/or experienced in their discipline within the school and are often the ones
that train and mentor junior teachers. In addition to finding widely varying attitudes toward the importance
of pronunciation and the efficacy of pronunciation instruction, the research found that there are also
interesting differences in how the teachers view the importance of suprasegmental features vs. segmental
features.
Richards, Monica (Iowa State University)
A Comprehensive Analysis of the Word Stress of New General Service List Vocabulary
Michael West’s (1954) General Service List of English Words (GSL) has grounded L2 English
vocabulary acquisition materials (e.g. Coxhead's 2001 Academic Word List) for decades, but an
updated corpus-based list of general English vocabulary has long been needed. Browne, Culligan &
Phillips' (2013) New General Service List (NGSL) fulfills this need with its list of approximately
3000 vocabulary tokens second language learners of English are most likely to encounter in a wide
variety of academic and nonacademic contexts. This presentation provides a comprehensive
analysis of word stress patterns identifiable in the NGSL, demonstrating that 97% of NGSL
vocabulary falls into eight word stress pattern categories. That is, because research has repeatedly
demonstrated that L2 English intelligibility is substantially impacted by word stress for both L1 and
L2 English listeners (e.g. Field, 2005; Isaacs & Trofimovich, 2012; Zielinski, 2008) and because, as
McCrocklin (2012) points out, several studies have indicated that word stress is indeed learnable by
L2 English speakers, this presentation provides a comprehensive account of the patterns most
important for L2 English teachers/materials developers/learners to target.
Sands, Kathy (SIL)
Pronunciation Issues for Korean Speakers in Linguistic Perspective
The purpose of this paper is to present a range of Korean ESL pronunciation issues observed over
a 15- semester timeframe from the vantage point of a linguist and phonetician, demonstrating as
well the key role of linguistics in the pronunciation classroom. Pronunciation issues arise from a
variety of linguistic sources, including differences in inventory, phonemic relationships, syllable
structure, and prosodic patterns. Korean speakers in particular encounter significant difficulties
acquiring clear English pronunciation, given the particular differences between languages. Beyond
the usual challenges posed typologically for many ESL students (for example, front vowels, dental
fricatives, and liquids in English), and the easier-to-diagnose sound substitutions, we find that a
number of complex issues for Koreans. Among theseː (1) Syllable count may be significantly
affected, owing to L1 voicing assimilation which devoices some syllable nuclei (for example, the [i]
of mercy devoices, resulting in the perception of a one-syllable word), a lack of onsetless syllables in
the L1 which results in syllables merging (for example, fluent becomes a one-syllable word), and L1
phonotactic constraints which give rise to epenthetic vowels (for example, lunch [ˈləəntʃi). (2)
Critical manner distinctions among obstruents may be obscured by apparent interaction with L1
stress patterns and syllable position, with [-cont] plosives/affricates appearing in ‘stronger’ positions
and [+cont] fricatives in ‘weaker’ positions (for example, phobia [ˈfoubiəə] becomes [ˈpʰouβiəə];
note also the substitution of bilabial fricatives [ɸ,β] for labiodental [f,p]). (3) Significant lip rounding
differences also become apparent, in degree (for example, ring [ɹɪŋ] becomes wing [wɪŋ]), in
duration (for example, she [ʃi] becoming [ʃʷi] for some speakers), in movement (Exː Cuban begins
and stays rounded across the first syllable; question begins and stays unrounded), and in presence
(Exː language may begin with a rounded [l]). (4) Differences in phonemic status of sibilants between
L1 and L2 may obscure sibilant place distinctions. For example, Mexico [ˈmɛksikou] becomes
[ˈmɛkʃi�kou] as [s] palatalizes around high front vowels (which are also not distinguished; note also
the devoiced [i�] affecting syllable count). Particularly difficult sets of words for Koreans to
distinguish include Caesar’s/scissors/seizures and eats/its/each/itch. Note that [z] is absent in Korean
and obstruent manner issues (above) may produce affricates, as observed in the [z] of musician
becoming [dʒ]. Pronunciation issues may be quite complex, interrelated, and subtle, as seen in the
Korean examples above, pointing to a critical role for linguistics in second-language pronunciation
teaching. Solid background in phonetics and phonology is needed to analyze the linguistic source of
pronunciation errors accurately in any L1 and provide students with clear explanations and
effective, individualized coaching. Pronunciation students also benefit from a degree of overt
linguistic instruction, in my experience. They appreciate having a system in which to fit what they
learn and a common set of tools for the classroom. Fitting observed pronunciation issues into a
linguistic framework also enables topics to be ordered in a way that is most helpful for students. For
example, once students understand voicing contrast, they can easily grasp the principles of keeping
all syllables voiced, lengthening vowels before voiced consonants, and matching the voicing on all
the -ed/-s endings to the prior consonant. Linguistic tools at our disposal are key to highly successful
pronunciation teaching and learning, in any L1 context.
Simonchyk, Ala (Indiana University)
Acquisition of Word Final Devoicing by American Learners of Russian
The study investigated the acquisition of the phonological rule of word final devoicing by American
learners of Russian and sought to answer whether articulatory features, such as place of articulation,
manner of articulation and palatalization had an effect on the degree of voicing preserved in the
final obstruents. The participants of the study were 20 American learners of Russian. The materials
of the study constituted 20 pseudowords of a CVC structure. The phonetic environment was
thoroughly controlled. Minimal pairs were excluded to avoid task effects. The target words were
matched to pictures of real objects that were assigned different meanings related to the topic of
space traveling. The participants had to memorize the target words for further elicitation. Pictures
were used to reduce the possible effects of orthography. In order to memorize the words, the
participants had to go through a word-learning stage that included four exercises. Then the
participants performed a picture-naming task. The results suggested that learners could not fully
acquire the rule of word final devoicing in Russian. The influence of learners’ native English
phonology, which allows voicing contrasts word- finally, was observed in the productions of word
final obstruents. Stops retained significantly more voicing than fricatives and palatalized consonants
were consistently more devoiced than plain consonants. Place of articulation did not have a
straightforward effect on the degree of voicing in the final obstruents, however, some tendencies
and interactions were observed in the data.
Sonsaat, Sinem (Iowa State University)
Teaching of Pronunciation in EFL Teacher Training Programs in Turkey
Research has shown that ESL/EFL teachers are reluctant to teach pronunciation since they find it
challenging due to various reasons (Couper, 2003, 2006). Not being provided with sufficient
training is one of the most frequently reported reasons of all so far (Foote, Holtby, Derwing, 2011).
Teachers’ concerns about not having access to proper training draws the attention to the teacher
training programs and how they integrate pronunciation teaching into their curriculum as well as
how they prepare prospective teachers to teach pronunciation. Therefore, this study addresses two
questions: How do EFL teacher training programs across Turkey approach and teach
pronunciation?; and Do they prepare their prospective teachers to teach pronunciation effectively,
if so, how? The first question of the study is based on the survey that was first developed by
Breitkreutz, Derwing, and Rossiter (2001) and improved by Foote, Holtby, and Derwing (2011) for
a follow-up study later on. The second question is explored by further questions added to the
survey that is employed for the first question and semi-structured interviews conducted with some
of the instructors who have shown willingness to contribute more to the current study. To the best
knowledge of the current researcher, there has not been much research on how pronunciation is
taught in EFL teacher training programs in spite of many in-service teachers’ complaints about not
having training on how to teach pronunciation. Therefore, the current study contributes to the field
by exploring the current practices in the teacher training programs rather than exploring beliefs and
practices of in-service teachers that has been explored by several researchers so far (Burns, 2006;
Couper, 2003, 2005; Derwing, 2013; Derwing & Munro, 2005).
Sturm, Jessica (Purdue University)
Liaison in L2 French: The effects of instruction
Liaison of words with latent final consonants to words beginning with vowels has proven difficult for
learners of French as an L2. Yet appropriate use of liaison is important for intelligibility as well as
appropriate register. The present research examines the effect of a series of lessons introducing and
explaining liaison on intermediate learners of L2 French. Two groups of FR 301 (5th semester)
students recorded a text at the beginning, middle, and end of the semester. One group received
explicit liaison instruction while the other did not. Results are interpreted in light of Schmidt’s
(1990; 1992; 1993; 1994; 1995; 2001) and Robinson’s (1995; 2003) work on attention and
awareness in L2 learning.
Thir, Veronkika (University of Vienna)
Implications of English as a lingua franca for pronunciation teaching in English language teacher education
With the majority of conversations in English these days taking place in international settings,
TESOL professionals have increasingly come to realize the importance of English as a Lingua
Franca (ELF) communication for learners of English. As pronunciation seems to play a particularly
important role in successful ELF communication (Jenkins 2000), it follows that English language
teachers need to be aware of the nature of ELF pronunciation in order to help their students attain
a pronunciation that will be intelligible in international settings. Yet, despite the ever increasing
number of ELF users around the world and the growing significance of ELF for the ELT
classroom, the practices of English pronunciation teaching have still remained largely unaffected by
these developments. The major problem seems to be that the role of ELF, and of language
variation in general, tend to be marginalized in the education of English language teachers, who
instead merely receive phonetic training in . In this talk, I present an approach to pronunciation
teaching in English language teacher education that recognizes the significance of ELF for ELT by
integrating implications of ELF and World English research for pronunciation teaching with
practical phonetics training. Drawing on my experience as a tutor for practical English phonetics at
the University of Vienna, I will consider issues such as different levels of competence in
pronunciation amongst advanced learners of English, the learners’ need for self-expression through
their accents and the question of how future teachers of English can be prepared to teach the native
varieties prescribed in most curricula while taking proper account of the international role of
English.
References:
Jenkins, Jennifer. 2000. The phonology of English as an international language. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
Watts, Patricia (University of Illinois)
Huensch, Amanda (University of South Florida)
Assessing Assessment: A Pronunciation Diagnostic Case Study
In the last two decades, interest in L2 pronunciation has steadily gained momentum, yet little
attention has been paid to the area of assessing pronunciation either independently or as part of the
larger construct of speaking ability. Isaacs’ (2014) chapter on assessing pronunciation bemoans this
fact while also noting how assessment should and could reflect recent advances in theory and
research, such as the paradigm shift from accentedness to comprehensibility (Levis, 2005) and
findings related to intelligibility (e.g., Munro & Derwing, 2006).
In this case study, the researchers critique an existing pronunciation diagnostic test and revise it
taking into account insights from the literature. To that end, they explore the following topics:
1.
2.
3.
4.
The value and limitations of read-aloud tasks
The use of free speech in pronunciation diagnostics
“Atomistic” vs. holistic rating
The development of rating scales reflecting the aforementioned paradigm shift from accentedness
to comprehensibility
5. Relating intelligibility findings to the creation of test items and the rating of speech samples
6. The suitability of test items for use with examinees from multiple language backgrounds, especially
for the segmental level
While the pronunciation test under examination is used within the context of international teaching
assistant training, the researchers believe the study to be valuable and relevant for test development
in other contexts and for languages other than English as well.
References
Isaacs, T. (2014). Assessing pronunciation. In Antony Kunnan (Ed.) The Companion to Language
Assessment, 140-155. Alden, MA: John Wiley & Sons.
Levis, J. (2005). Changing contexts and shifting paradigms in pronunciation teaching. TESOL
Quarterley, 39, 369-377.
Munro, M. & Derwing, T. (2006). The functional load principle in ESL pronunciation instruction:
An exploratory study. System, 34, 520-531.
Yokomoto, Katsuya (Rikkyo University)
IPA Training to Improve Comprehensibility of EFL Learners
This study investigated the effects of literacy training in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)
on the development of EFL learners’ comprehensibility and accentedness. A total of 24 learners at
a college in Japan received training in English segmentals using the IPA. During pre-, post-, and
delayed post-tests, all of the learners read three sets of scripts written in English only, English and
IPA, and IPA only aloud. All sessions were audio-recorded in their entirety. Five native English
speakers judged these audio samples for comprehensibility and accentedness using a 9-point scale.
All learners showed improved scores in both comprehensibility and accentedness in post- and
delayed post-tests when they read the scripts that included the IPA. However, when the IPA was
not provided in the script, 9 learners did not improve their scores in either comprehensibility or
accentedness in post- and delayed post-tests. Therefore, it can be concluded that being able to read
the IPA helps learners to produce more comprehensible and less accented pronunciation;
however, this ability might not be demonstrated when IPA symbols are not provided as a reference.
The pedagogical implication of this study is that the ability to pronounce English words correctly
should be considered separately from understanding the sound-spelling correspondence in English.
Zetterholm, Elisabeth (Linnaeus University)
Tronnier, Mechtild (Lund University)
Swedish tonal word accents produced by Vietnamese L1-speakers
This study addresses the question of whether Vietnamese L1-speakers make an adequate
distinction in tonal patterns when producing two tonal accent words in their L2-Swedish. These two
tonal word accents were based on varied tonal contours aligned with the stressed syllable in the
word. Both Vietnamese, with six lexical tones, and Swedish, with two tonal word accents, use tonal
features to distinguish meaning on a lexical level. Some previous studies suggest, that a lexical tonal
L1 may provide L2-learners an advantage in perceptually discriminating among different tones in
another tone language, while others show that this may not necessarily be the case. Recordings of
native speakers of Vietnamese learning Swedish as their second language were used for this study.
In these recordings, the speakers read sentences that contained four minimal pairs contrasted by
word accents only. The accuracy of the two accent patterns of the Vietnamese speakers was
examined by means of identification tests carried out by native Swedish listeners. The identification
rate was compared with results of a matching set of stimuli produced by L1-speakers of Swedish.
Results revealed that no adequate distinction is made between the accents by the L2-speakers.
However, one of the tonal patterns is produced more frequently and more often identified
correctly. Stimuli produced by L1-speakers of Swedish are more often correctly identified, although
not in all cases. It might be that a tonal contour, similar to one of the Swedish tonal word accents, is
relevant or familiar in tonal production in L1-Vietnamese and therefore transferred to L2-Swedish.
The production data are confirmed in acoustic analyses.
Zhang, Hang (George Washington University)
The realization of narrow focus in L2 Chinese
Mandarin Chinese is a tonal language and sentence level prominence is expressed mainly by
expanding pitch range, intensity and duration but not changing the lexical tone contours (Chen
2004; Flemming 2008). The acquisition of Mandarin focus marking poses a difficult challenge for
non-tonal language speakers, such as English, Japanese and Korean which represent three types of
non-tonal languages (stress-accent languages, pitch-accent languages and non-stress non-pitch accent
languages).
This study examines the second language (L2) tonal productions of Chinese mono-syllabic narrow
focus implemented by 20 American English-speaking learners, 20 Tokyo Japanese-speaking
learners and 20 Korean-speaking learners. It is found that Japanese speakers’ general accuracy rate
is higher than English and Korean speakers’. In terms of individual tones, all groups show the
greatest accuracy with the target Mandarin high-falling tone (T4). However, when errors occur,
English-speaking learners demonstrate an obvious preference of T4 to substitute for target tones,
which reflects the L1 transfer of accented pitch tone H*L. Japanese-speaking learners usually
lengthen low tones and use Mandarin low dipping tone (Full-T3) in substitutions. Korean speakers
don’t show obvious preference of tones. This study argues that the frequent use of low pitch in
focus marking by Japanese and Korean speakers may not be ascribed to L1 but due to the
unmarkedness of low tones (Ohala 1978; Yip 2002). It represents the situation of “the Emergence
of the Unmarked” in the context of L2 acquisition (Broselow et al., 1998). That is, these error
patterns in L2 acquisition could neither have been learned from L2 input alone nor derived from
the L1 grammar patterns but reveal universally preferred tone structures. This study concludes that
the effects of L1 transfer and the “emergence of the unmarked” (McCarthy and Prince, 1994) coconstruct the non-tonal language speakers’ interlanguage tone grammars for sentence focus
marking.
Selected References:
Broselow, E., et al. (1987) "The perception of second language prosody," Interlanguage
Phonology: 350-362.
Chen, Y-Y. (2004). Focus and Intonational Phrase Boundary in Standard Chinese. ISCA Archive.
International Symposium on Chinese Spoken Language Processing (ISCSLP 2004).
Flemming, E. (2008) The role of pitch range in focus marking. Slides from a talk given at the
Workshop on Information Structure and Prosody, Studiecentrum Soeterbeeck (2008).
Jun, S-A. (2005). Korean Intonational Phonology and Prosodic Transcription. in Jun, S-A. (eds.)
Prosodic Typology. pp.201-230. Oxford, UK.
McCarthy, J. & A.Prince (1994) The Emergence of the Unmarked: Optimality in Prosodic
Morphology.
Ohala, J. J. (1978). Production of Tone. In Tone: A Linguistic Survey. P. 3-39.
Venditti, J.,et al.(2008) Prominence marking in the Japanese intonation system. Handbook of
Japanese Ling.
Yip, M. (2002). Tone. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge, UK.
Zhuang, Yuan (Northern Arizona University)
Examining the Effectiveness of Teaching English Intonation to Brazilian ESL Learners
This study investigates the effectiveness of using a computer program , Praat, to help Brazilian ESL
learners improve their ability to use English intonation in communication. Recent research suggests
that intonation and other suprasegmental features of pronunciation may have significant effects on
oral proficiency and comprehensibility (e.g., Derwing & Munro, 1997, 1998; Kang, 2010b, 2013).
However, studies on the effectiveness of suprasegmentals teaching have not been able to reach a
satisfactory level of consensus on how intonation can be effectively taught (e.g., Anderson-Hsieh,
1992; Levis & Pickering, 2004) in classroom. Previous studies have chosen the ESL learners of
Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, French, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish, but researchers have paid very
little attention to examine the English intonation produced by Portuguese L1 speakers. Portuguese
speakers are generally considered to have similar problems in intonation as the Spanish speakers
(Avery & Ehrlich, 1992). In this study, 32 ESL learners from Brazil were recruited and divided into
two groups: one treatment group (n = 16) and one comparison group (n = 16). The treatment group
received a four-week (eight hours in total) perception training of English intonation patterns and the
communication functions of intonation. The comparison group received no training. A
pretest/posttest quasi-experimental design was used to investigate the development of the ESL
learners’ intonation production. It is expected that a significant group difference of intonation
production will be found after training. The study will provide support that ESL learners can
develop intonation production through explicit perception training. It will also show the positive
effects of Computer-Assisted Pronunciation Teaching, and provide implications for English
teachers to better understand and teach English suprasegmental features.
Teaching Tips Abstracts
Aduradola, Remi
Sotiloye, Bosedo
Akeredolu-Ale, Bolanie
Fed. University of Agriculture, Abeokuta
Adopting a Learner-Friendly Approach to Learners’ Speech Challenges
It has been established that the four communication skills are usually developed in graduation from
listening to speaking, reading and then writing. However, it has also been observed in many
language classes that the speaking skill has been grossly neglected despite its significance. While
speech drills remain one of the traditional methods of teaching speech work and such means are
quite repetitive; they need not become boring exercises neither should learners be over-stressed to
achieve native-like pronunciation. In order to promote a learner or user-friendly environment in
and out of the language classroom, there is a need to adopt the use of communicative approach to
develop the speaking ability of learners. Such context would expose problematic sound segmental
features of many Nigerian speakers and users of English language. It will further create opportunity
for reduction of speech errors, while at the same time solve the growing challenge. This paper
provides an examination of experiences with the adoption of Phillipa de Launay's exercises to
create awareness of learner's problematic area and need for improvement with recommendation of
practical suggestions for remediation.
Brinton, Donna, UCLA (retired)
Walk __ By: Raising Learner Consciousness About Unstressed Words
English belongs to the class of stress-timed languages, with stressed phrasal elements occurring at relatively
regular intervals. Stress typically falls on content words (e.g., nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs) while all
other elements of the phrase (e.g., articles, conjunctions, prepositions, particles) tend to be unstressed.
These elements, known as function words, help to maintain the stressed-unstressed rhythmic pattern of
English. While stressed elements are relatively easy for learners to hear, unstressed elements are much
more difficult. Lack of knowledge about the stress-timed nature of English can lead to learner difficulties in
comprehension; it also reinforces the tendency of learners from syllable-timed language backgrounds to
place stress on the wrong elements of the phrase when speaking. This teaching tip involves the use of a song
and a cloze passage activity to raise learner consciousness about the nature of stress timing in English.
Handouts containing the song lyrics, the cloze passage, and a list of suggested songs will be provided.
Chan, Marsha, Mission College
Pronunciation Workout
Pronunciation is a physical act! Pronunciation Doctor's Pronunciation Workout is composed of many
warm-up exercises. These warm-up exercises will help you become aware of your vocal apparatus and make
your muscles stronger and more flexible. As you gain strength, flexibility, and speed, you can make your
pronunciation movements more automatic. As you increase automaticity of movement and practice the
other videos in this channel, you'll become more fluent in your spoken English!
Colantinio, Sandra (Chapman University)
Teaching French Language and Culture Through Phonetics
The aim of this presentation is to engage students in learning French culture and phonetics through
music. This demonstration will be presenting, through Georges Brassens singing “Les Passants”, a
way to teach the French silent ‘e’ for foreign language learners. This activity may be used for all
levels and languages. It will include a “run-through” of a lesson plan that may be changed and
utilized by any instructor. I will demonstrate this original idea with a French song, because I am a
French instructor, and have used this to demonstrate the silent ‘e’ in French. Many foreign language
learners of French have a difficult time in differentiating when to pronounce an ‘e’ at the end of a
word. Through song, students will hear when this letter is silent and when it is pronounced for
stylistic and phonetic purposes. The materials that will be used will be: handouts of a biography of
the artist intended for students’ reading comprehension, a hand-out of the lyrics with blanks for
students to fill out while listening to the song, and a Youtube video of Georges Brassens singing
“Les Passants”. The biography will introduce students to the artist and place the work in the correct
context, affording students the background necessary to correlate this activity with what is being
reviewed in class. The fill-in-the-blanks of the lyrics increase student participation and attentiveness,
while immersing the students in the target language. The Youtube video interests the visual learners
in the classroom, to aide in oral comprehension. Instructors will leave this presentation with a
skeleton of a lesson plan to take back to their own classes. This idea is simply a guide for others to
change as need be for any language and for any level and topic.
Foote, Jennifer, Concordia University
Using portable mobile technologies for shadowing activities
As portable mobile technologies such as smart phones and tablets become increasingly ubiquitous,
these technologies offer opportunities for pronunciation instruction. For example, activities that were once
tied to the classroom can now be made available to learners anytime. One activity that can be enhanced
with such technologies is shadowing. Shadowing is a technique where learners are given a speech stimulus,
usually a recording, and are asked to speak along with the stimulus, copying the speech as accurately as
possible (Luo, Shimomura, Minematsu, Yamauchi, & Hirose, 2008). This technique is often promoted for
improving pronunciation, particularly suprasegmentals.
This teaching tips session will offer suggestions for how instructors and learners can create their
own shadowing materials for mobile devices. It will also offer suggestion for how to easily create recordings
of learners’ shadowing attempts. By recording and sharing shadowing outputs, learners can analyze their
own speech, or share recordings with peers or an instructor for feedback. Apart from requiring learners to
own a smart phone or tablet, no addition costs for software are needed. Using portable mobile technologies
for shadowing also offers excellent opportunities for instructors who are looking for effective activities that
learners can use outside of class for extra pronunciation practice. Suggestions on choosing shadowing
materials will be provided as will tips for helping learners provide peer feedback and analyze their own
recordings.
Luo, D., Shimomura, N., Minematsu, N., Yamauchi, Y., & Hirose, K. (2008). Automatic pronunciation
evaluation of language learners’ utterances generated through shadowing. Interspeech 2008, 2807-2810.
Henrichsen, Lynn (Brigham Young University)
Video voiceovers for helpful, enjoyable pronunciation practice
Rehearsed speaking activities (Morley, 1991), such as memorized speeches, provide useful
pronunciation practice that can focus English learners’ attention on accuracy and fluency. Recent
research (Davy, 2013) has also shown the benefits of systematic, controlled repetition and imitation
for improving L2 speaking skills. However, rehearsed, repetitive activities can also be boring for
students—during both the practice and presentation stages.
Tracking is an activity in which English language learners listen to and analyze an audio or video
model of speech and then imitate and reproduce it, speaking the same words simultaneously with the
model. Tracking has been recommended (Celce-Murcia, Brinton, & Goodwin, 1996, Rosse, 1999) as
useful for building English language learners’ fluency and increasing their awareness of prosodic
features.
Video voiceovers combine the advantages of these two types of speaking practice in a fun,
entertaining way. In video voiceovers, students first choose a short video clip from a movie, television
program, commercial, YouTube®, etc. The clip must involve one or more characters speaking
naturally, may be funny or serious, and should show the characters’ mouths moving as they speak.
Students work individually or in small groups. After students have chosen their video clip and
speaking parts, they listen to the clip multiple times, tracking, and paying careful attention to both
segmentals and suprasegmentals, as well as pausing and pacing. After they learn their parts, students
mute the audio. After sufficient rehearsal time—both in and out of class—students then present their
clips to the entire class, speaking aloud while the muted video image is projected.
Class members watching these presentations find them entertaining, and the presenters find that
preparing and delivering their video voiceovers in this manner helps them improve their speaking
accuracy and fluency in an enjoyable yet effective way. Experience demonstrates that these video
voiceovers are among the students’ favorite activities in their pronunciation course. This presentation
will not only explain the pedagogical theory and procedures associated with video voiceovers but also
show several video clips of students in an ESL pronunciation class presenting their video voiceovers.
Lima, Edna – Ohio University
Feel the rhythm! Fun and effective pronunciation practice using Audacity and sitcom scenes
The activity presented in this session is designed to help adult learners improve their perception and
production of rhythm in English using Audacity. By creating appealing and useful activities that can be
assigned as homework, teachers give learners the opportunity to practice more, work in a comfortable
environment, and work at their own pace. Also, by using a script as the base for the exercises, teachers
make the feedback process easier and more effective.
This activity was designed as part of a fully online pronunciation tutor focusing on suprasegmentals; it
focuses on rhythm and prompts learners to “imitate” the provided model. Before being assigned this
activity, learners watched two short instructional videos on how to download and use Audacity to record and
edit audio files.
McCrocklin, Shannon - University of Texas Pan American
Automatic Speech Recognition: Making it Work for your Pronunciation Class
Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR), the technology behind language learning technology such as Rosetta
Stone and Burlington English, is also available through many dictation programs freely accessible on the
devices that your students are likely to already own or have access to. Such ASR programs empower
students to work on their pronunciation on their own, getting feedback based on the transcription provided
by the program. This teaching tip presentation will introduce some of the programs available to teachers
and students, ways of getting students started with the programs, and possible guides for working with the
programs. Finally, the presentation will address some of the challenges of working with dictation programs
for pronunciation work, providing ideas for resolving such issues.
Reed, Marnie - Boston University
The Sandwich Approach: The Secret to Attaining Unconscious Competence
Even fluent leaners may be unconsciously incompetent at segmental and/or suprasegmental phonology. A
pedagogical approach is proposed that converts learners’ declarative knowledge to proceduralized
knowledge, unconscious competence. Explication and practice are sandwiched between Teaching Talk, the
succinct language of instruction, and learner Tell Backs to advance metacognition, self-monitoring, and
automaticity.
As discovered by Derwing & Rossiter (2002) and confirmed by Foote, Holtby, & Derwing (2011), at
early stages of acquisition, learners don’t know what they don’t know. They are, in short, at the unconscious
incompetence stage of development. They may be inadvertently mispronouncing individual segments,
adding or deleting sounds in syllable onsets or codas, stressing incorrect syllables in multisyllabic words,
phrases, or sentences, or misusing or completely missing out on the pragmatic functions of intonation.
Consistent with DeKeyser’s (2007) transferability hypothesis, declarative knowledge can be
converted to proceduralized knowledge. This paper proposes an approach that establishes, that is, imparts
metacognitive awareness of the segmental and/or suprasegmental pronunciation targets via Teaching Talk
that is succinct and therefore retrievable by the learners to use as Tell Backs for the purposes of
internalizing the concepts and self-monitoring for accuracy. Like the PB&J sandwiched between layers of
bread, explanations, examples, and ample opportunities for practice are sandwiched between layers of
succinct, minimalist Teaching Talk.
References:
Derwing, T.M., & Rossiter, M.J. (2002). ESL learners’ perceptions of their pronunciation needs and
strategies. System, 30, 155-166.
Dekeyser, R. (2007). Skill acquisition theory. In B. VanPatten & J. Williams (Eds.), Theories In second
language acquisition (pp.97-113). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Foote, J. A., Holtby, A. K., & Derwing, T. M. (2011). Survey of the teaching of pronunciation in adult ESL
programs in Canada, 2010. TESL Canada Journal, 29(1), 1-22.
Richards, Monica (Iowa State University)
Introducing a Suite of High-Interest Communicative Activities for Providing Learners' Concentrated
Exposure to English Word Stress Patterns
A variety of resources and techniques for the teaching of word stress have been proposed in research
articles (e.g. Murphy, 2004; Tanner & Landon, 2009), the pronunciation pedagogy textbook of CelceMurcia, Brinton, Goodwin & Griner (2010), Fischler & Jensen's (2006) Stress Rulz, Carolyn
Graham's various "jazz chant" books (e.g. 2001), and elsewhere. Many resources, however, target just a
few of the most common instantiations of the most highly frequent patterns, with the result that L2
English learners rarely have enough exposure to most of the patterns to be able to apply them either
unconsciously, through exposure-developed formulaicity, or analytically (cf. Wray & Perkins, 2000).
They are therefore sentenced either to making frequent word stress errors or to the impracticality of
continual resorting to a dictionary (Jenkins, 2000). This teaching tip presentation proposes an
alternative by introducing a suite of high-interest communicative activities for providing learners'
concentrated exposure to the English word stress patterns identifiable in Browne, Culligan & Phillips'
(2013) New General Service List (NGSL) list of the nearly 3000 most frequent vocabulary tokens of
English.
Schaefer, Vance
Darcy, Isabelle
Indiana University
A communicative approach and dialect exposure enhance pitch accent awareness by learners of Japanese
Pitch accent is important in Japanese: it constrains lexical access for native speakers (Otake &
Cutler, 1999), is processed differently in the brain according to dialect (Sato et al., 2013), and
viewed as a social marker (Vance, 1987). Yet, it is rarely taught explicitly in Japanese as a Foreign
Language (JFL) classrooms (Shport, 2008). Non-target-like productions create an impression of a
foreign accent – more so for suprasegmentals than segmentals (Sato, 1995, for L2 Japanese).
Japanese learners have difficulties acquiring native-like pitch-accent patterns implicitly (Shport,
2008). Similarly to English (Johnson & Moore, 1997), the interplay of pitch and pausing might
impact learners’ reading proficiency.
Such findings suggest a need for greater attention and a modified strategy to teaching pitch accent in
JFL classes. This proposal advocates an approach based on the communicative framework
prioritizing guided practice (Celce-Murcia et al., 2010), and enriched by less conventional methods
such as dialect exposure. Following the guiding principle of a dual focus on both form and meaning
at once (Segalowitz & Hulstijn, 2005), pronunciation is integrated into all skill activities (e.g.,
grammar, reading) to boost pitch accent awareness and facilitate more target-like (lexical)
acquisition. Also, exposure to non-standard dialectal pitch-accent patterns (e.g., Kansai, Fukushima)
should achieve greater metalinguistic awareness and improve perception/production of pitch accent
(see Baker & Smith, 2010, for segmentals). To further dialog concerning pronunciation teaching in
the JFL classroom, this presentation summarizes relevant L2 phonology theory and current
pronunciation praxis and offers concrete examples of pronunciation activities that incorporate this
dual focus.