The effects of explicit pronunciation instruction on the production of second language Spanish voiceless stops

Abstract

The present study examines the effectiveness of second language explicit pronunciation instruction of adult second language (L2) learners of Spanish in a classroom setting. This study seeks to shed light on the effectiveness of teaching pronunciation while considering the level of instruction of first, second and third year students. Eighty-three learners of Spanish as an L2 were recruited to participate in a control (n = 45) or experimental (n = 38) group. From the beginning to the end of a twelve-week semester, participants in the experimental condition received instruction on typically difficult segments in L2-Spanish for first language (L1) English speakers.
 Pronunciation gains were measured acoustically by a word-reading task and the target structures were Spanish voiceless stops /p, t, k/. Results suggest that pronunciation instruction is beneficial to all voiceless stops. After a semester of instruction, the experimental group reduced their voice onset time (VOT) and reached native speakers' range, while no difference was observed in the control group. Additionally, instruction was beneficial at each curricular level, suggesting that pronunciation instruction should be part of the L2-Spanish curricular sequence at multiple levels. Results are discussed in terms of the theoretical, methodological and pedagogical implications of these findings and special emphasis is placed on the advantages of pronunciation instruction. A call is made for more teachers and practitioners to include pronunciation instruction in the L2-Spanish classroom.

The Efficacy of Gesture on Second Language Pronunciation: An Exploratory Study of Handclapping as a Classroom Instructional Tool

“…Such instructional interventions have been tested in a number of studies, showing overall that L2 learners’ phonological knowledge can indeed be improved through instruction. This finding has held in both speech production (e.g., Bradlow, Pisoni, Akahane‐Yamada, & Tohkura, 1997; Camus, 2019; Saito, 2011, 2013) and perception (e.g., Hirata, 2004; Logan, Lively, & Pisoni, 1991), and in laboratory settings (e.g., Bradlow et al., 1997; Hirata, 2004; Logan et al., 1991; Saito, 2011) and in classroom settings (e.g., Camus, 2019; Saito, 2013; see Saito, 2012 for a review of quasi‐experimental studies of L2 pronunciation instruction). The positive effects of instruction have been observed even for notoriously difficult aspects of pronunciation such as the English /r/–/l/ contrast for L1 Japanese learners (e.g., Bradlow et al., 1997; Logan et al., 1991).…”

The relevance of phonetics teaching for english sounds perception

“…Nowadays, several researches (ARAÚJO et al, 2010;AZEREDO SILVA, 2004;BARREIRA, 2008;COATS, 2014;GHORBANI, 2011;GORDON et al, 2013;GOSWAMI;CHEN, 2010;KENNEDY et al, 2013;KISSLING, 2012;LINTUNEN, 2013;LIPINSKA, 2013;STURM, 2013) have investigated the role of phonetics teaching on perception and production of second language (L2) and foreign language (FL) sounds. Those studies have demonstrated that phonetics teaching plays a crucial role in the development and improvement of L2/FL learners' performance in sounds perception and production.…”

The Spanish Computer-Assisted Listening and Speaking Tutor

“…Although learners learn a great deal through immersion in the language, they can also benefit from pronunciation instruction in language courses (e.g., Kissling, 2013, but see also Lord, 2005). Unfortunately, in most language courses, pronunciation is given limited attention (for Spanish, see Arteaga, 2000;Bartolí, 2005;Camus-Oyarzún, 2016;Elliot, 1997;Paredes García, 2013, inter alia; see also Derwing & Munro, 2005. There are several reasons for this.…”