The Contribution of Individual Differences to L2 Pronunciation Learning: Insights from Research and Pedagogical Implications

Abstract

Adult second language (L2) learning often exhibits great variability in its rate and outcome. Although research shows that learning trajectories are partly shaped by social and contextual factors (e.g. Larson-Hall, 2008), certain learner factors play an important role in enhancing L2 pronunciation learning by helping L2 learners notice and process input efficiently, whereas certain learner factors may impede L2 pronunciation learning by impairing attention control or slowing down L2 input processing. Therefore, in order for language teachers to provide effective instruction and help their students improve their L2 pronunciation proficiency, it is beneficial for them to understand the differential impact of learner characteristics on L2 learning and adapt such understanding to their instruction and learning activities. The aim of the current article is to provide a review of existing studies that have explored individual differences (IDs) in relation to L2 pronunciation acquisition and to present implications for effective L2 pronunciation teaching. The article begins with an introduction of the paradigm shift in L2 pronunciation research and the conceptual framework of ID proposed by Dörnyei (2009). This is followed by a summary of the processes involved in L2 pronunciation learning. The third section focuses on the characteristics of four IDs that have been found to influence the development of L2 pronunciation. Those IDs include foreign language learning aptitude (e.g. Saito and Hanzawa, 2016), musical aptitude (e.g. Milovanov et al., 2010), L2 learning motivation (e.g. Moyer, 1999) and anxiety (e.g. Baran-Łucarz, 2016). Based on the discussion in the third section, the last section will offer various applications of IDs research findings to L2 pronunciation instruction (e.g. instructional approaches, feedback, and pronunciation syllabi) for successful L2 pronunciation teaching.

Does Mode of Input Affect How Second Language Learners Create Form–Meaning Connections and Pronounce Second Language Words?

“…Reliance on a limited repertoire of acoustic features might be sufficient to render L2 speech comprehensible but not necessarily target‐like. While a small improvement of a learner's accent can be expected with practice, estimated through a recent meta‐analysis to be a relatively small effect (Cohen's d = .28) following instruction (Saito, 2021), sounding nonaccented might require a substantial amount of immersion experience (Flege & Fletcher, 1992; Trofimovich & Baker, 2006), an earlier age of onset (Flege et al., 2006), strong motivation (Moyer, 2014), and special language learning abilities (see Suzukida, 2021, for a review), including phonemic coding (e.g., Hu et al., 2013) and perceptual acuity (e.g., Saito et al., 2020).…”

“…Third, this study did not explore the influence of individual differences, such as L2 proficiency and auditory processing skills (Saito et al., 2020) on vocabulary learning. Although exploration of learner‐related variables was beyond the scope of this study, individual differences play an important role in L2 pronunciation learning (for a review, see Suzukida, 2021). How learner‐internal variables interact with mode of input needs to be investigated further.…”

Frequency of Exposure Influences Accentedness and Comprehensibility in Learners’ Pronunciation of Second Language Words

“…According to cross‐sectional and longitudinal investigations (Derwing & Munro, 2013; K. Saito, 2015), L2 learners appear to continue to improve various dimensions of language competence relevant to comprehensibility (temporal, lexical, grammatical, and prosodic features) when they use the target language daily. In contrast, although the degree of foreign accent tends to diminish within early phases of L2 immersion (Derwing & Munro, 2013), this is likely to be followed by a plateau, and further development may be limited to learners with higher phonetic aptitude, memory, and motivation (Suzukida, 2021). In light of prior work that considers accentedness and comprehensibility as separate constructs, the current study targets these two constructs—through scalar ratings of accentedness and comprehensibility—to measure L2 word pronunciation learning.…”

Commentary: When the Easy Becomes Difficult: Factors Affecting the Acquisition of the English /iː/-/ɪ/ Contrast and On the Difficulty of Defining “Difficult” in Second-Language Vowel Acquisition

“…Individual learners acquired allophones of the same phoneme in no consistent order. While there is a growing recognition that individual differences play a substantial role in ultimate attainment for L2 pronunciation (Darcy et al, 2015;Suzukida, 2021), factors such as aptitude, motivation, and quality of experience with the target language have long played a subordinate role to L1 effects in L2 speech research.…”