This study investigates the acquisition of the L2 French vowel /y/ in a mobileassisted learning environment, via the use of automatic speech recognition (ASR). Particularly, it addresses the question of whether ASR-based pronunciation instruction using a mobile device can improve the production and perception of French /y/. Forty-two elementary French students participated in an experimental study in which they were assigned to one of three groups: (1) the ASR Group, which used an ASR application on their mobile devices to complete weekly pronunciation activities, with immediate written visual (textual) feedback provided by the software and no human interaction; (2) the Non-ASR Group, which completed the same weekly pronunciation activities in individual weekly sessions but with a teacher who provided immediate oral feedback using recasts and repetitions; and finally, (3) the Control Group, which participated in weekly individual meetings 'to practice their conversation skills' with a teacher who provided no pronunciation feedback. The study followed a pretest/posttest design. According to the results of the dependent samples t-tests, only the ASR group improved significantly from pretest to posttest (p < 0.001), and none of the groups improved in perception. The overall success of the ASR group on the production measures suggests that this type of learning environment is propitious for the development of segmental features such as /y/ in L2 French.
Abstract:We report the results of two empirical studies that investigated the use of mobile text-to-speech synthesizers (TTS) and automatic speech recognition (ASR) as tools to promote the development of pronunciation skills in L2 French. Specifically, the study examined learners' perceptions of the pedagogical use of these tools in learning a French segment (the vowel /y/, as in tu 'you') and a suprasegmental feature (across-word resyllabification/liaison, observed in petit enfant 'small child'), in a mobile-assisted context. Our results indicate that, when used in a "learn anytime anywhere" mobile setting, the participants believe that they have: (1) increased and enhanced access to input; and (2) multiple opportunities for speech output and (3) for the development of prediction skills. Interestingly, these findings meet the requirements for successful L2 learning, one that recommends the inclusion of pedagogical activities that promote exposure to input (Nation & Newton 2009), multiple opportunities for output (Swain 1995), and the development of prediction skills (Dickerson 2015) to foster learner autonomy and, consequently, to maximize classroom time by extending the reach of the classroom. Our findings also indicate that participants recognize the pedagogical importance of TTS and ASR, and enjoy the mobile-enhanced learning environment afforded by these two technologies.
This study examines the impact of the pedagogical use of mobile automatic speech recognition software (ASR) on the acquisition of the French vowel /y/ in production and perception. The participants were 42 beginner French students with no previous training in French phonetics and exposure to speech recognition software. They were divided into three experimental groups: (1) the ASR Group used an ASR application installed on their mobile devices to complete weekly pronunciation activities, with immediate written visual (textual) feedback provided by the software; (2) the Non-ASR Group completed the same weekly pronunciation activities in individual weekly sessions with a teacher, who provided immediate oral feedback using recast and repetitions; finally, (3) the Control Group participated in weekly individual meetings "to practice their conversation skills" with a teacher, who provided no pronunciation feedback. Following a pre-test/post-test design, our findings indicate that the ASR Group outperformed the other groups in French /y/ production, but not in perception.Key words: automatic speech recognition, pronunciation teaching, French phonology, production, perception RésuméCette recherche étudie l'impact de l'utilisation pédagogique des logiciels mobiles de reconnaissance automatique de la parole (RAP) sur l'acquisition de la voyelle française /y/ dans la production et dans la perception. OLBI WORKING PAPERSQuarante-deux participants étaient des débutants en français sans aucune expérience préalable dans la phonétique et sans exposition à des logiciels de reconnaissance de la parole. Ils ont été divisés en trois groupes expé-rimentaux : (1) le groupe RAP a utilisé une application de RAP installée sur des appareils mobiles pour compléter des activités hebdomadaires de prononciation, avec une rétroaction immédiate écrite visuelle (textuelle) fournie par le logiciel, (2) le groupe non-RAP a complété les mêmes activités hebdomadaires de prononciation lors des rencontres individuelles avec un professeur qui a fourni une rétroaction immédiate orale, et enfin, (3) le groupe de contrôle a participé à des rencontres hebdomadaires individuelles avec un professeur pour pratiquer l'oral sans aucune rétro-action. En suivant le design de pré-test/post-test, nos résultats indiquent que le groupe RAP a dépassé les autres groupes dans la production de la voyelle /y/, mais pas dans sa perception.Mots-clés : reconnaissance automatique de la parole, enseignement de la prononciation, phonologie du français, production, perception
When designing a task-based language curriculum, it is essential to conduct a needs analysis (NA) to gain insight into the needs and goals of the student population (Long SLA and TBLT 6). This article illustrates the steps of the process by which an NA was designed and implemented in two university-level B2 level oral communication French as a Second Language courses to investigate students’ perceptions of the TBLT approach, students’ motivations, needs and desired outcomes in order to develop task-based syllabi. This article also addresses the challenges of responding to the needs of a diverse student population in order to determine thematic content and to design the authentic real-life tasks that would appeal to different individual students while taking into account the sociolinguistic and cultural context of the Francophone province of Quebec.The NA consisted of an analysis of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), an online questionnaire given to both students (n = 48) and teachers (n = 8), and semi-structured interviews with students (n = 8). Despite the apparent heterogeneity of the participants in the two general purpose oral communication language classes, results suggest common, domain-independent goals and themes that would sufficiently cater to the needs and objectives of each individual in the group while also meeting the academic requirements of a university-level course.
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