Smoothie or Fruit Salad? Learners’ Descriptions of Accents as Windows to Concept Formation

Abstract

<jats:p>This paper explores the linguistically naive descriptions which one set of EFL learners provided when identifying and describing accents. First and second-year English majors at a French university were asked to do two tasks. First, they listened to two extracts to determine whether the speaker’s accent sounded more British or American, and to explain which features helped them to decide. Later they answered two questions: a) What do you do when you want to sound more like an American? and b) more like a British person? The analysis of their answers highlights learners’ underlying representations of accents as well as concept formation in relation to English pronunciation. I argue that this cognitive aspect of L2 learning should be addressed explicitly in instruction.</jats:p>

Teacher Cognition of Pronunciation Teaching: Teachers' Concerns and Issues

“…Further, cognitive linguistics (Mompean, ) offers a theory of language that is compatible with sociocultural theory (Lantolf, ). Together, these insights have led to a focus on concept formation (Couper, ; Fraser, ; Henderson, ). Critical listening (CL; Couper, ; Fraser, ) and socially constructed metalanguage (SCM; Couper, ; Henderson, ) require the learner to focus “on the contrast between a correct (or appropriate) pronunciation versus an incorrect (or inappropriate) pronunciation within a particular communicative act” (Fraser, , p. 301).…”

“…Together, these insights have led to a focus on concept formation (Couper, ; Fraser, ; Henderson, ). Critical listening (CL; Couper, ; Fraser, ) and socially constructed metalanguage (SCM; Couper, ; Henderson, ) require the learner to focus “on the contrast between a correct (or appropriate) pronunciation versus an incorrect (or inappropriate) pronunciation within a particular communicative act” (Fraser, , p. 301). SCM is based on learners and teachers sharing their target language perceptions, discussing them in nontechnical language proposed by the learners, and leading to common understandings and a co‐constructed metalanguage that can be used for explanations and ongoing feedback.…”

Conception d’un dispositif hybride au service de la conscience phonético-phonologique

“…En tout état de cause, on observe un début de prise de conscience en des termes peu scientifiques et proches de la sphère des apprenants. Ce type de description suprenante a déjà été relevé par Henderson (2015), à partir d'une recherche sur les représentations des étudiants sur les variétés d'anglais, notamment britannique et américain. Il nous semble que cela révèle une appropriation en cours.…”