L2 pronunciation in the spotlight

Abstract

The present chapter puts forward several suggestions on how to incorporate the pronunciation component into the Spanish as a foreign language (SFL) class, ranging from phonological awareness raising activities to spontaneous speaking tasks. These proposals stem from the renewed interest in determining pronunciation instruction effects in classroom settings. Specifically, recent second language (L2) speech acquisition research has shown that an explicit focus on pronunciation in communicative tasks seems to lead to more accurate L2 segmental perception and production. Moreover, as in the new descriptors of the CEFR Companion Volume, this chapter prioritizes comprehensibility as the ultimate goal in the integration of pronunciation into communicative tasks.