Conceptualizing Pronunciation As Part of Translingual/Transcultural Competence: New Impulses for SLA Research and the L2 Classroom

Abstract

This article aims to reconceptualize pronunciation teaching and learning according to the tenets of the 2007 MLA Report and its call for translingual/transcultural competence. The critical discussion of current teaching and research practices shows that the realm of pronunciation has benefitted little from debates on intercultural language learning. In order to link the teaching of pronunciation with learner needs in intercultural encounters, this article develops the concept of pronunciation‐as‐language. The theoretical exploration of this concept is supported by a narrative analysis of study‐abroad learners' accounts, contrasting learners' perceptions of teaching practices with the complex role pronunciation plays in second language‐mediated interactions. The results underline the importance of pedagogical approaches that encourage the critical reflection on and creative use of pronunciation beyond structural elements and native‐speaker norms.

The Effectiveness of Video‐Based Shadowing and Tracking Pronunciation Exercises for Foreign Language Learners

“…However, only the meaningful contextualization of instruction allows students to demonstrate gains in spontaneous speech. These findings indicate that if the primary goal of pronunciation instruction is to improve proficiency by strengthening the intelligibility of learners’ spontaneous speech, then instruction needs to be culturally contextualized (Müller, ), meaning‐focused, and attentive to learners’ needs and interests (Munro, Derwing, & Thomson, ).…”

Motivation, Comprehensibility, and Accentedness in L2 Spanish: Investigating Motivation as a Time‐Varying Predictor of Pronunciation Development

“…However, although studies have demonstrated important links between concern for pronunciation and L2 pronunciation accuracy, research has yet to provide evidence of a relationship between pronunciation accuracy and more general motivation to learn a language, which may become more closely connected to pronunciation at more advanced levels of proficiency. Moreover, it is important to bear in mind that motivation is a complex, dynamic construct that interacts with other socio‐affective factors such as learner autonomy and identity, which can in turn have a nondeterministic, variable impact on the concern for sounding accurate that different learners experience at different times in their careers as language users (Marx, ; Müller, ). Therefore, any relationship between motivation and pronunciation accuracy is likely to be complex.…”

Narrating the sound of self: The role of pronunciation in learners’ self‐constructions in study‐abroad contexts

“…In particular, the results of our investigation show that students need to be involved in critical/reflective discussions with regard to both views on pronunciation and learning objectives. With regard to pronunciation, learners may (a) be encouraged to critically reflect on their own beliefs and common discourses about pronunciation, (b) discuss individual, regional, and social variation in pronunciation, and (c) practically experiment with pronunciation varieties to help them break away from inhibitory perceptions of accuracy and its effects on intelligibility (for a more detailed discussion of pedagogical steps, see Müller ).…”