The Pronunciation of English as a Lingua Franca (original) (raw)
Related papers
Intellectual Discourse, 2018
The spread of English as the world lingua franca has evoked the rethinking of the significance of native-speaker norms and models in teaching English, and as a result, the target of pronunciation teaching and learning has shifted from imitating native accents to achieving speech intelligibility. The Lingua Franca Core proposal introduced a list of phonological features in English that are, arguably, the minimum required to achieve intelligibility and argued that mispronouncing these features is expected to cause a breakdown in communication among non-native speakers. As a consequence of this, it has been suggested that LFC be prioritized in teaching and learning English pronunciation. In response to the LFC proposal, researchers have become polarized; while some have found LFC a promising approach, others have argued against its appropriateness as a target of pronunciation teaching and learning. This paper evaluates the controversial position of the LFC proposal in the literature, focusing on three main dimensions: the LFC’s potential to result in intelligible communication, its teachability and its scope of function as an alternative target to the NS models, and the influence of different attitudes on the success of implementing the LFC.
Pronunciation in English as a lingua franca: A brief introduction
Volume 31, No 2, 2014
Though the field of research into English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) has been growing steadily over the past fifteen years or so, there still seem to be relatively few teachers and trainers in the English language teaching (ELT) industry who really appreciate what the term refers to, which makes it hard to have an informed opinion on what it might mean for their practice. This introductory article: • gives some background to the emergence of ELF; • explains what ELF interaction basically entails; and • suggests how the phenomenon of ELF might affect what we teach in terms of pronunciation.
The status of English as a lingua franca (ELF) has become an increasingly popular topic in Applied Linguistics and there is a lively discussion around which pronunciation model to use in classrooms (Dauer, 2005). Jenkins (1998, 2000, and 2002) proposed the Lingua Franca Core (LFC): a list of features which are presumably the minimum required to result in intelligible communication among non-native speakers of English (NNSs) and should form the basis upon which the pronunciation syllabus of learners of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) should be designed. While very few teachers of English today would (theoretically) argue that aiming at native-like pronunciation is necessary or even desirable, many teachers, nevertheless, remain skeptical about the teachability of the LFC (Jenkins, 2007). This paper addresses this doubt introducing the construct of the 'LFC', its potential implication in classroom, and its scope and function beyond classroom setting.
Applied Linguistics, 2002
King's College, London The starting point of this paper is the recent shift in the use of English, such that non-native speakers (NNSs) using English for international communication now outnumber its native speakers (Crystal 1997; Graddol 1997). This shift, it will be argued, has serious implications for ELT pedagogy. Principal among these is the need for empirically established phonological norms and classroom pronunciation models for English as an International Language (EIL), in which intelligibility for NNS rather than for native speaker (NS) receivers is the primary motivation. Three sets of data drawn from NNS±NNS interaction are provided in order to exemplify the kinds of empirical evidence that are necessary to enable us to make informed claims about phonological intelligibility in EIL. Then follows the author's proposal, based on such evidence, for a revised pronunciation syllabus for EIL, the Lingua Franca Core. This core approach, it is suggested, is better able to promote both intelligibility and regional appropriateness among EIL interlocutors, as well as being more teachable, than either of the two most commonly adopted classroom models, Received Pronunciation and General American. Finally, the importance of developing learners' accommodation skills as an integral part of pronunciation teaching for EIL is discussed. INTRODUCTION: CHANGING CIRCUMSTANCES, CHANGING PRONUNCIATION GOALS At the start of the twenty-®rst century, most applied linguists are familiar with the fact that English is now spoken by a considerably greater number of NNSs than NSs. Several scholars have already begun discussing the implications for
Which pronunciation norms and models for English as an International Language
Elt Journal, 1998
Language EIL) has led to changes in learners' pronunciation needs and goals. The acquisition of a native-like accent is no longer the ultimate objective of the majority of learners, nor is communication with native speakers their primary motivation for learning English. Instead, what they need above all is to be able to communicate successfully with other non-native speakers of English from different L1 backgrounds.
Current research on intelligibility in English as a lingua franca
Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 2006
Recognition of incipient change in the status of English as an international language has yielded a small but growing area of research addressing NNS-NNS interaction. Issues concerning intelligibility are a key focus of this investigation, particularly as native speaker models have limited relevance to these new contexts of use. This review highlights current research from diverse areas of applied linguistics that have addressed aspects of intelligibility in both experimental and real-world settings. Current findings suggest that the processes by which understanding is achieved in ELF interaction are qualitatively different from those observed in NS-based interaction, and that this has implications for a number of research and practice areas. Following a definition of terms, the chapter surveys current research and considers its influence on current trends in English language teaching. Possible directions for further research are also considered.
Research in Language, 2022
The text reviews selected current issues related to native and non-native accents of English, including the status of English as a global language, the value of varieties of English and the question of a possible supremacy of one accent over other varieties. The text links theoretical and applied issues addressing the question of which variety should be used in EFL education. Focusing on the phonetic dimension it weights the conflicting reasons given in classic works, such as Kachru's and McArthur's to eventually point to novel research programmes as exemplified in other texts included in the special issues of Research in Language, i.e. vol. 20, issues 1 and 2, most of which were inspired by Accents 2021, an annual conference organised by the
ELF 10 Conference, Helsinki: Finland, 2017
This paper investigates the phonological aspects of English as a lingua franca (ELF) communication and identifies which segmental features are likely to cause miscommunication. The data include audio recordings of 30 informal communicative events with groups made up of three to four students in an Australian university. The recordings resulted in 18 hours of naturally occurring communication involving a total of 107 local (<10%) and international students from 23 countries. Follow-up interviews were conducted with participants to determine and categorise the instances of miscommunication which were explicitly signalled through strategies commonly adopted by ELF speakers. The findings reveal that variation in consonants had a more significant effect on intelligibility than shifts in vowels. Another observation is that shifts in vowel quality caused more issues compared to vowel length which is not consistent with the Lingua Franca Core proposal (Jenkins, 2000) in which a greater importance is placed on the length of vowels rather than their quality. This opposing finding is most probably due to the scale and diverse linguistic backgrounds of the participants in the study. The paper concludes by highlighting the fact that there were relatively few instances of miscommunication due to segmental features in the data and none of these resulted in a complete breakdown in communication. Keywords: pronunciation, segmental features, miscommunication, intelligibility, Lingua Franca Core