Functional Loads of Pronunciation Features in Nonnative Speakers' Oral Assessment

Kang, Okim; Moran, Meghan

doi:10.1002/tesq.152

Cited by 68 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Importantly, this global segmental analysis (i.e., the number of L1 substitution errors divided by the total number of segments articulated) has been widely used in L2 speech literature (e.g., Kang & Moran, 2014). For example, Trofimovich and Isaacs (2012) explained their global segmental analysis by using an example very specific to French learners of English (/θ/ in "think" mispronounced as /t/ in "tink").…”

Section: Segmental Analysis Proceduresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aptitude, Experience, and Second Language Pronunciation Proficiency Development in Classroom Settings

Saito

Suzukida

Sun

2018

Stud Second Lang Acquis

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The current study longitudinally examined the influence of aptitude on second language (L2) pronunciation development when 40 firstyear Japanese university students engaged in practice activities inside and outside English-as-a-Foreign-Language classrooms over one academic year. Spontaneous speech samples were elicited at the beginning, middle and end points of the project, analyzed for global, segmental, syllabic, prosodic and temporal aspects of L2 pronunciation, and linked to their aptitude and experience profiles. Results indicated that the participants generally enhanced the global comprehensibility of their speech (via reducing vowel insertion errors in complex syllables) as a function of increased classroom experience during their first semester, and explicit learning aptitude (associative memory, phonemic coding) appeared to help certain learners further enhance their pronunciation proficiency through the development of fluency and prosody. In the second semester, incidental learning ability (sound sequence recognition) was shown to be a significant predictor of the extent to which certain learners continued to improve and ultimately attain advanced-level L2 comprehensibility, largely thanks to improved segmental accuracy.Adult second language acquisition (SLA) is a multifaceted phenomenon whose process and product are greatly affected not only by factors related to experience (e.g., how second language [L2] learners have practiced the target language), but also by those which are learner-internal (e.g., to what extent they are cognitively and socially adept at L2 pronunciation learning). Adopting a longitudinal approach (i.e., where learners engaged in practice activities inside and outside English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) classrooms over one academic year), the current study examined how 40 college-level Japanese students with various aptitude scores (in terms of sound sequence recognition, phonemic coding, and associative memory) could improve the global 2 Kazuya Saito, Yui Suzukida and Hui Sun (comprehensibility), segmental (consonant/vowel errors), syllabic (schwa vowel insertion), prosodic (wrong/missing stress) and temporal (breakdown, speed, fluency) dimensions of their L2 pronunciation. BACKGROUND

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Section: Segmental Analysis Proceduresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aptitude, Experience, and Second Language Pronunciation Proficiency Development in Classroom Settings

Saito

Suzukida

Sun

2018

Stud Second Lang Acquis

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“…To ascertain error gravity of minimal pairs, functional load takes into account a series of factors, such as the frequency of the minimal pair in distinguishing between words, its position within a word, and the likelihood that the minimal pair contrast is upheld in different dialectical varieties of English, since listeners are more likely to be able to make perceptual adjustments for sound pairs that are subject to regional variation than for those that are not (Brown, 1988). Kang and Moran (2014) demonstrate an application for assessment by classifying test-takers' error types into high and low functional load on monologic speaking tasks from four Cambridge English exams targeting a range of levels from A2 (Cambridge English: Key) to C2 (Cambridge English: Proficiency) in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). They found a significant drop in high functional load errors as proficiency level increased for all five levels.…”

Section: Functional Load and Guarding Against Accent Reduction Resourmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shifting Sands in Second Language Pronunciation Teaching and Assessment Research and Practice

Isaacs

2018

Language Assessment Quarterly

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This article brings to the fore trends in second language (L2) pronunciation research, teaching, and assessment by highlighting the ways in which pronunciation instructional priorities and assessment targets have shifted over time, social dimensions that, although presented in a different guise, appear to have remained static, and principles in need of clearer conceptualization. The reorientation of the pedagogical goal in pronunciation teaching from the traditional focus on accent reduction to the more suitable goal of intelligibility will feed into a discussion of major constructs subsumed under the umbrella term of "pronunciation." We discuss theoretical gaps, definitional quagmires, and challenges in operationalizing major constructs in assessment instruments, with an emphasis on research findings on which pronunciation features are most consequential for intelligibility and implications for instructional priorities and assessment targets. Considerations related to social judgments of pronunciation, accent familiarity effects, the growth lingua franca communication, and technological advances, including machine scoring of pronunciation, pervade the discussion, bridging past and present. Recommendations for advancing an ambitious research agenda are proposed to disassociate pronunciation assessment from the neglect of the past, secure its presence as an integral part of the L2 speaking construct, and propel it to the forefront of developments in assessment. L2 pronunciation assessment 3 Shifting sands in second language pronunciation assessment research and practice From a historical perspective, it can be argued that pronunciation, more than any other component within the construct of second language (L2) speaking ability, has been subject to the whims

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“…In addition, a body of L2 intelligibility studies on segmental and supra-segmental features (Munro and Derwing 2006;Saito et al 2017) that cause intelligibility problems provides compelling evidence to build up a part of the construct definition of L2 speaking performance. Recent empirical studies on the analysis of segmental categories in Hong Kong English (Sewell 2013), expanding circle varieties elicited in the Cambridge ESOL exam (Kang and Moran 2014) and in Indian English, all demonstrate that examinees' segmental errors with low-functional load do not impede intelligibility, indicating that L2 examinees should not be penalized if their intended communicative goal is achieved, even though some of their speech features differ from standard English form. Additionally, Sewell's (2013) analysis of segmental categories that focus on the intelligibility of Hong Kong English is aligned to the Lingua Franca Core (LFC) (Jenkins 2000).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rater attitude towards emerging varieties of English: a new rater effect?

Hsu

2019

Lang Test Asia

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Background: A strong interest in researching World Englishes (WE) in relation to language assessment has become an emerging theme in language assessment studies over the past two decades. While research on WE has highlighted the status, function, and legitimacy of varieties of English language, it remains unclear how raters respond to the results of the global spread of English. Also unclear is whether their attitudes towards the varieties of English constitute a biasing factor in the scores they award in English speaking tests. As such, this study investigates the relationship between rater attitudes towards Indian English as an example of WE, as measured by the "rater attitude instrument" (RAI), and scores that raters awarded to IELTS speech samples produced by Indian examinees. Methods: A total of 96 teacher raters rated six IELTS speech samples and then completed the RAI online. Correlation analysis, MANOVA, and Tukey contrasts were performed to test the extent to which rater attitudes towards Indian English as an example of WE affect rater scoring decisions on IELTS speech samples. Results: Moderate to strong correlations were observed between the RAI and IELTS speech sample scores. The MANOVA results suggest significantly different ratings, with the positive attitude group consistently awarding higher scores to IELTS speech samples in comparison to the negative attitude group on all of the four analytic rating criteria. Furthermore, the RAI appears to be a significant predictor of IELTS speech sample scores. Conclusion: A link between rater attitude towards Indian English, as an example of WE, and scoring tendency for Indian examinees may exist in a language assessment context. Thus, as raters reoriented their views, broadened their grasp of WE, and as awareness of WE increased in the language testing community in recent decades, the findings here show that testing agencies must add an understanding of potential rater bias towards WE to the current relevant literature.

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Functional Loads of Pronunciation Features in Nonnative Speakers' Oral Assessment

Cited by 68 publications

References 18 publications

Aptitude, Experience, and Second Language Pronunciation Proficiency Development in Classroom Settings

Aptitude, Experience, and Second Language Pronunciation Proficiency Development in Classroom Settings

Shifting Sands in Second Language Pronunciation Teaching and Assessment Research and Practice

Rater attitude towards emerging varieties of English: a new rater effect?

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