Perception of FA by Non-native Listeners in a Study Abroad Context

Abstract

<jats:p>The present study aims at exploring the under-investigated interface between SA and L2 phonological development by assessing the impact of a 3-month SA programme on the pronunciation of a group of 23 Catalan/Spanish learners of English (NNSs) by means of phonetic measures and perceived FA measures. 6 native speakers (NS) in an exchange programme in Spain provided baseline data for comparison purposes. The participants were recorded performing a reading aloud task before (pre-test) and immediately after (post-test) the SA. Another group of 37 proficient non-native listeners, also bilingual in Catalan/Spanish and trained in English phonetics, assessed the NNS' speech samples for degree of FA. Phonetic measures consisted of pronunciation accuracy scores computed by counting pronunciation errors (phonemic deletions, insertions and substitutions, and stress misplacement). Measures of perceived FA were obtained with two experiments. In experiment 1, the listeners heard a random presentation of the sentences produced by the NSs and by the NNSs at pre-test and post-test and rated them on a 7-point Likert scale for degree of FA (1 = “native” , 7 = “heavy foreign accent”). In experiment 2, they heard paired pre-test/post-test sentences (i.e. produced by the same NNS at pre-test and post-test) and indicated which of the two sounded more native-like. Then, they stated their judgment confidence level on a 7-point scale (1 = “unsure”, 7 = “sure”). Results indicated a slight, non-significant improvement in perceived FA after SA. However, a significant decrease was found in pronunciation accuracy scores after SA. Measures of pronunciation accuracy and FA ratings were also found to be strongly correlated. These findings are discussed in light of the often reported mixed results as regards pronunciation improvement during short-term immersion.</jats:p>

Differential effects of SA and intensive AH courses on teenagers' L2 pronunciation

“…Despite its limitations, the present study makes an important contribution to the field, as it is the first one to provide evidence for L2 pronunciation development in a very short SA (3 weeks) in the case of adolescents. This finding is in line with previous research reporting benefits of an overseas experience on L2 pronunciation in adults (Stevens ; ; Avello et al ) and children (Muñoz and Llanes 2014). However, comparison across studies is difficult due to differences in participants' age, proficiency level, elicitation methods and the measures used.…”

“…First, L2 phonological development in general, and during SA in particular, is characterized by large inter‐learner variation (Kinginger ; Llanes et al ) with some learners showing significant progress, while others not showing any improvement at all (Avello et al ). In the present study, raters failed to detect any FA reduction in 28.6% of the SA learners despite their improvement in VOT.…”

“…However, comparison across studies is difficult due to differences in participants' age, proficiency level, elicitation methods and the measures used. For example, Avello et al () found a significant decrease in the number of pronunciation errors learners produced after SA, but only a slight non‐significant reduction of FA based on a 7‐point FA scale. Similarly, in Avello and Lara () the FA reduced non‐significantly on a 7‐point scale (−0.23).…”

“…Previous research investigating the effect of SA on L2 phonology is relatively limited and has so far produced inconclusive results. The findings of previous research point in several directions, some have found improvement in favor of the SA group (Højen ; Stevens ; Muñoz and Llanes ), others have found differences in favor of the AH group (Mora , ), and still others have found no (clear) differences between SA and AH participants (Díaz‐Campos ; Avello, Mora and Pérez‐Vidal 2012; Avello and Lara ; George ) for a variety of target phonological features such as vowels (Simões ; Mora ; Stevens ), consonants (Stevens ; Díaz‐Campos ; George ), or perceived foreign accent (Avello et al ; Muñoz and Llanes ).…”

“…A common finding of SA research investigating phonetic accuracy in L2 speech perception and production is that certain aspects improve and others do not (Højen ; Díaz‐Campos ), or they improve only for some learners; for example, those with a lower pre‐SA level of proficiency (Muñoz and Llanes ), and not for others (Simões ). Concerning the methodology to investigate L2 phonological development in SA, most studies have used foreign accent (FA) ratings as a means of assessing overall improvement in pronunciation accuracy (Avello et al ; Muñoz and Llanes ). In general, research examining specific aspects of phonetic accuracy is less frequent and has focused primarily on segmental production (Stevens , ; Avello and Lara ; George ) rather than on segmental perception (Muñoz and Llanes ).…”