The Effectiveness of L2 Pronunciation Instruction: A Narrative Review (original) (raw)
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A Discussion of the Ins and Outs of L2 Pronunciation Instruction: A Clash of Methodologies
The value attached to pronunciation has kept changing continually in the methodological history of language instruction. Depending on the nature of methodological considerations that dominated research and teaching agenda, it either received too much attention or was marginalized. This study sets out to provide a comprehensive overview of pronunciation instruction from the 1950s to the present day, with a particular reference to popular bipolar debates that characterized this methodologically fluctuating period. Moreover, it attempts to examine the general outlook on pronunciation and summarize major issues concerning what components of pronunciation to include in the syllabus and how to teach it. The study also discusses the role of computers and technology in pronunciation instruction by incorporating data from empirical studies. Although some of the debates have been inconclusive up until today, the intellectual effort put in the process seems to have proved fruitful in providing some guidelines for dealing with the challenging task of improving learners' pronunciation. Keywords: Computer-assisted pronunciation teaching (CAPT), segmental/suprasegmental phonology, accuracy, intelligibility, nativeness, teacher education
The efficacy of the type of instruction on second language pronunciation acquisition
Frontiers in Education, 2023
This study investigates the efficacy of the type of instruction (i.e., perceptionbased vs. production-based) on second language (L2) pronunciation acquisition in an English as a foreign language (EFL) context. To achieve this objective, 60 tertiary-level Jordanian learners of English were recruited and put into two groups (30 learners in each group). Group A received 6 weeks of perceptionbased instruction on both segmental and suprasegmental aspects of English pronunciation, and Group B received production-based instruction over the same period and on the same aspects of pronunciation. Progress in L2 pronunciation was assessed at three time points (i.e., week 1, week 6, and week 14). Pre-, postand delayed post-tests were run to achieve the study's objective. A statistical analysis was conducted to analyse the data. The results show that both groups demonstrated a significant improvement in L2 pronunciation accuracy; in particular, Group A which received perception-based instruction demonstrated higher gains in segmental, syllabic, and prosodic aspects while Group B which received production-based instruction demonstrated more improvement in both global (i.e., comprehensibility) and temporal (i.e., fluency) aspects of pronunciation. However, both groups demonstrated similar gains on the delayed post-test. The findings provide implications for L2 pronunciation learners and teachers on the impact of the type of instruction on the addressed aspects of pronunciation.
Ease and Difficulty in L2 Pronunciation Teaching: A Mini-Review
Frontiers in Communication, 2021
Both L2 learners and their teachers are concerned about pronunciation. While an unspoken classroom goal is often native-accented speech (i.e., a spoken variety of the mother tongue that it not geographically confined to a place within a particular country), pronunciation researchers tend to agree that comprehensible speech (i.e., speech that can be easily understood by an interlocutor) is a more realistic goal. A host of studies have demonstrated that certain types of training can result in more comprehensible L2 speech. This contribution considers research on training the perception and production of both segmental (i.e., speech sounds) and suprasegmental features (i.e., stress, rhythm, tone, intonation). Before we can determine whether a given pronunciation feature is easy or difficult to teach and—more importantly—to learn, we must focus on: 1) setting classroom priorities that place comprehensibility of L2 speech at the forefront; and 2) relying upon insights gained through rese...
Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language--TESL-EJ, 2022
This study investigated the effects of L2 pronunciation instruction on speech intelligibility and fluency, the relationship between intelligibility and fluency, and the extent to which utterance fluency can predict perceived fluency. Participants were 30 beginning adult EFL learners who received either segmental or suprasegmental instruction. Oral data included monologues recorded at the beginning and end of an 8-week course. Speech segments were transcribed for intelligibility and rated on a 1000-point scale for fluency by 11 native speakers. They were also coded and analyzed for transcription errors and utterance fluency measures. Quantitative analyses did not reveal significant changes in intelligibility or perceived fluency as the result of instruction. However, the suprasegmental group seemed to show an upward trend in speech rate, which was found to strongly predict perceived fluency. The findings further our understanding of the effectiveness of pronunciation instruction base...
System, 1997
Materials for the teaching of pronunciation have changed significantly over the past 50 years from emphasizing the accurate production of discrete sounds to concentrating more on the broader, more communicative aspects of connected speech. For many commercially produced materials, however, while the phonological focus has changed, the teaching techniques and task types presented continue to be based on behaviourist notions of second language acquisition, largely relying on imitation and discrimination drills, reading aloud and contrastive analysis of Ll and L2 sound systems. This paper briefly reviews recent research into the acquisition of second language phonology and examines if and how these research findings are reflected in currently used pronunciation teaching materials. Suggestions are made for the future production of materials that incorporate activities more fully addressing the communicative, psychological and sociological dimensions of pronunciation.
Pronunciation instruction Classroom practice and empirical research
2012
The present paper reviews the literature in the area of English pronunciation instruction. It starts by focusing on the way it has been addressed by different approaches to Second Language Teaching, from Direct Approaches to Communicative Methodologies. Then textbooks and pronunciation manuals are analyzed. Finally, data from empirical research is summarized. The conclusion is that there no integration between research and the production of materials for pronunciation instruction. Also, communicative aspects and the student’s mother tongue are not taken into account.
The efficacy of pronunciation instruction
2017
Introduction/definitions Although pronunciation instruction (PI) has existed for centuries, the last decade has seen a dramatic increase in research studies devoted to its effects. For instance, Lee, Jang and Plonsky (2015) conducted a meta-analysis of 86 studies, most of which were very recent, and found that the majority showed changes in L2 speakers' productions directly linked to the intervention they received. At first glance, this is a positive finding, but as Thomson and Derwing (2015) pointed out in a narrative analysis of many of the same studies, most researchers used a measure of accent reduction (or accuracy) as opposed to a change to comprehensibility or intelligibility (for definitions of these terms, please see Table 19.1) to determine outcomes. Thomson and Derwing identified only seven studies (of 75) that demon strated significant improvement in either comprehensibility or intelligibility as a result of PI. Given this finding, it is important to consider the limitations of many of the existing studies. The value of PI, surely, should be determined by the extent to which it can improve communication. Of course, it is conceivable that a more accurate rendition of a single segment or suprasegmental feature may indeed render an L2 speaker's speech more intelligible and/or comprehensible, but that depends on many factors. Did the rest of the word or phrase remain intact, or did the effort expended in changing the target result in distortions elsewhere in the word? Did a focus on changing a suprasegmental feature interfere with the clarity of some other aspect of the utterance? Did the aspect of pronunciation in question actually interfere with listener understanding in the first place? Was the change measured in connected speech or in isolated citation forms? These may seem like esoteric questions, but, in fact, more accurate pronunciation of some features of a word or phrase can indeed result in less comprehensible productions overall (Derwing & Munro, 2015), as was the case for Joanna Tam, a visual artist who explored the concepts of accent, identity, displacement and standardization (Tam, 2012). Joanna received PI from an accent coach that made her both less comprehensible and less intelligible. Fortunately, the changes brought about by the interventions of her accent coach were not maintained. Ideally, PI should result in both increased and lasting intelligibility and comprehensibility, but an improvement of one or the other alone is still a positive outcome. However, a change to accent with no change to intelligibility and comprehensibility (or, worse, decreased