Second Language Pronunciation Assessment
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Second Language Pronunciation Assessment SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION Series Editors: Professor David Singleton, University of Pannonia, Hungary and Fellow Emeritus, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland and Dr Simone E. Pfenninger, University of Salzburg, Austria This series brings together titles dealing with a variety of aspects of language acquisition and processing in situations where a language or languages other than the native language is involved. Second language is thus interpreted in its broadest possible sense. The volumes included in the series all offer in their different ways, on the one hand, exposition and discussion of empirical findings and, on the other, some degree of theoretical reflection. In this latter connection, no particular theoretical stance is privileged in the series; nor is any relevant perspective – sociolinguistic, psycholinguistic, neurolinguistic, etc. – deemed out of place. The intended readership of the series includes final-year undergraduates working on second language acquisition projects, postgraduate students involved in second language acquisition research, and researchers, teachers and policy-makers in general whose interests include a second language acquisition component. Full details of all the books in this series and of all our other publications can be found on http://www.multilingual-matters.com, or by writing to Multilingual Matters, St Nicholas House, 31–34 High Street, Bristol BS1 2AW, UK. SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION: 107 Second Language Pronunciation Assessment Interdisciplinary Perspectives Edited by Talia Isaacs and Pavel Trofi movich MULTILINGUAL MATTERS Bristol • Blue Ridge Summit In Memory of Alan Davies and Danielle Guénette DOI 10.21832/ISAACS6848 Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. Names: Isaacs, Talia, editor. | Trofimovich, Pavel, editor. Title: Second Language Pronunciation Assessment: Interdisciplinary Perspectives/Edited by Talia Isaacs and Pavel Trofimovich. Description: Bristol: Multilingual Matters, [2017] | Series: Second Language Acquisition: 107 | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2016031375 | ISBN 9781783096848 (hbk : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781783096831 (pbk : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781783096879 (kindle) Subjects: LCSH: Second language acquisition—Ability testing. | Language and languages—Pronunciation—Ability testing. | Language and languages—Pronunciation for foreign speakers. | Language and languages—Study and teaching—Foreign speakers. | Second language acquisition—Research. Classification: LCC P118.75 .S43 2015 | DDC 418.0076—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016031375 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue entry for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN-13: 978-1-78309-684-8 (hbk) ISBN-13: 978-1-78309-683-1 (pbk) ISBN-13: 978-1-78309-685-5 (pdf) ISBN-13: 978-1-78309-686-2 (epub) Open Access: Except where otherwise noted, this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. Multilingual Matters UK: St Nicholas House, 31–34 High Street, Bristol BS1 2AW, UK. USA: NBN, Blue Ridge Summit, PA, USA. Website: www.multilingual-matters.com Twitter: Multi_ Ling _ Mat Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/multilingualmatters Blog: www.channelviewpublications.wordpress.com Copyright © 2017 Talia Isaacs, Pavel Trofimovich and the authors of individual chapters. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher. The policy of Multilingual Matters/Channel View Publications is to use papers that are natu- ral, renewable and recyclable products, made from wood grown in sustainable forests. In the manufacturing process of our books, and to further support our policy, preference is given to printers that have FSC and PEFC Chain of Custody certification. The FSC and/or PEFC logos will appear on those books where full certification has been granted to the printer concerned. Typeset by Nova Techset Private Limited, Bengaluru and Chennai, India. Printed and bound in the UK by the CPI Books Group Ltd. Printed and bound in the US by Edwards Brothers Malloy, Inc. Contents Acknowledgements ix Contributors xi Part 1: Introduction 1 Key Themes, Constructs and Interdisciplinary Perspectives in Second Language Pronunciation Assessment 3 Talia Isaacs and Pavel Trofimovich Assessment of Second Language Pronunciation: Where We Are Now 3 Bringing Together Different Research Strands 5 Structure of the Book 7 Key Concepts and Definitions 8 2 What Do Raters Need in a Pronunciation Scale? The User’s View 12 Luke Harding Introduction 12 Background 12 Aim and Research Questions 17 Methodology 17 Findings 20 Discussion 28 Part 2: Insights From Assessing Other Language Skills and Components 3 Pronunciation and Intelligibility in Assessing Spoken Fluency 37 Kevin Browne and Glenn Fulcher Introduction 37 The Fluency Construct 37 Methodology 41 Findings and Discussion 45 Conclusion 49 v vi Second Language Pronunciation Assessment 4 What Can Pronunciation Researchers Learn From Research into Second Language Writing? 54 Ute Knoch Introduction 54 Rating Scale Development and Validation 54 Rater Effects and Training 60 Task Effects 62 Classroom-based Assessment 64 Implications and Conclusion 66 5 The Role of Pronunciation in the Assessment of Second Language Listening Ability 72 Elvis Wagner and Paul D. Toth Introduction 72 Review of the Literature 72 The Current Study 78 Methodology 79 Results 83 Discussion 84 Implications and Conclusion 87 Appendix: Post-test Questionnaire 91 Part 3: Perspectives on Pronunciation Assessment From Psycho linguistics and Speech Sciences 6 The Relationship Between Cognitive Control and Pronunciation in a Second Language 95 Joan C. Mora and Isabelle Darcy Introduction 95 Background 97 The Present Study 98 Methodology 100 Results 107 Discussion and Conclusion 112 Implications 114 Appendix: Results of a Hierarchical Multiple Regression Analysis Using Attention and PSTM as Predictors of Pronunciation Accuracy Scores 120 7 Students’ Attitudes Towards English Teachers’ Accents: The Interplay of Accent Familiarity, Comprehensibility, Intelligibility, Perceived Native Speaker Status, and Acceptability as a Teacher 121 Laura Ballard and Paula Winke Introduction 121 Contents vii Background 122 The Current Study 127 Methodology 127 Procedure 129 Results 129 Discussion 134 Implications 138 Conclusion 138 8 Re-examining Phonological and Lexical Correlates of Second Language Comprehensibility: The Role of Rater Experience 141 Kazuya Saito, Pavel Trofimovich, Talia Isaacs and Stuart Webb Introduction 141 Pronunciation Aspects of Comprehensibility 144 Lexical Aspects of Comprehensibility 147 Discussion 150 Implications for Second Language Assessment 151 Limitations 152 Conclusion 153 Appendix: Training Materials and Onscreen Labels for Comprehensibility Judgement 156 9 Assessing Second Language Pronunciation: Distinguishing Features of Rhythm in Learner Speech at Different Proficiency Levels 157 Evelina Galaczi, Brechtje Post, Aike Li, Fiona Barker and Elaine Schmidt Introduction 157 Role of Rhythm in English Speech 159 Rhythm Metrics 162 Prosody, Rhythm and Second Language English Learners 163 Study Aim and Research Questions 165 Methodology 166 Results 169 Discussion 175 Implications 176 Future Research and Conclusion 179 Part 4: Sociolinguistic, Cross-cultural and Lingua Franca Perspectives in Pronunciation Assessment 10 Commentary on the Native Speaker Status in Pronunciation Research 185 Alan Davies viii Second Language Pronunciation Assessment 11 Variation or ‘Error’? Perception of Pronunciation Variation and Implications for Assessment 193 Stephanie Lindemann Introduction 193 Variation and Perception of Variation in Native English Pronunciation 194 Perception of ‘Nonnative’ English Variation 198 Bias Against Nonnative Speakers 201 Implications for Assessment 204 Conclusion 206 12 Teacher-Raters’ Assessment of French Lingua Franca Pronunciation 210 Sara Kennedy, Josée Blanchet and Danielle Guénette Introduction 210 French as a Lingua Franca 211 Assessment of French Pronunciation 211 Rater Reports as Evidence of Rater Decision Making 213 The Current Study 216 Methodology 217 Results 221 Discussion 226 Limitations and Conclusion 230 Implications for Assessment, Teaching and Research 231 Appendix: Empirical Codes, Examples and Frequencies of Coded Categories Used to Analyze Teacher-raters’ Transcribed Verbatim Comments 235 13 Pronunciation Assessment in Asia’s World City: Implications of a Lingua Franca Approach in Hong Kong 237 Andrew Sewell Introduction 237 Pronunciation Assessment in Hong Kong: Room for Improvement? 243 Implications of a Lingua Franca Approach 248 Part 5: Concluding Remarks 14 Second Language Pronunciation Assessment: A Look at the Present and the Future 259 Pavel Trofimovich and Talia Isaacs Introduction 259 Current Trends 260 Future Directions 265 Index 272 Acknowledgements This edited volume, which brings together different but complementary research perspectives to establish a common platform in which to discuss issues relevant to assessing second language (L2) pronunciation, would not have been possible without the contributions and commitment of the authors, who explore key issues through different disciplinary lenses in the chapters that make up this volume. The vision for the book arose