How Do Second Language Listeners Perceive the Comprehensibility of Foreign-Accented Speech?

Abstract

The current study examines how second language (L2) users differentially assess the comprehensibility (i.e., ease of understanding) of foreign-accented speech according to a range of background variables, including first language (L1) profiles, L2 proficiency, age, experience, familiarity, and metacognition. A total of 110 L2 listeners first evaluated the global comprehensibility of 50 spontaneous speech samples produced by low-, mid-, and high-proficiency Japanese speakers of English. The listeners were categorized into two subgroups according to a cluster analysis of their rating scores: lenient and strict. Results showed that while the lenient listeners appeared to rely equally on many linguistic areas of speech during their judgments, the strict listeners were strongly attuned to phonological accuracy. Analysis of the background questionnaire data revealed that more lenient listeners likely had higher levels of awareness of the importance of comprehensibility for communication (metacognition); regularly used L2 English in professional settings (experience); and had L1s more linguistically close to the target speech samples, Japanese-accented English (L1-L2 distance).

Beyond Linguistic Features

“…Alternatively, it might arise because people often misattribute their assessment of ease or difficulty to an irrelevant source (Greifeneder et al, 2011), which, in this case, amounts to speakers upgrading their partner's comprehensibility based on their own participation in dialogue. Regardless of its source, this self-oriented influence on partner comprehensibility in interaction represents a novel contribution to existing work, which to date has chiefly targeted individual differences in raters' cognitive and experiential profiles (e.g., Saito et al, 2019).…”

Which segmental features matter for successful L2 comprehensibility? Revisiting and generalizing the pedagogical value of the functional load principle

“…The discrepancy here indicates a necessity of generalization of the findings in order to forward L2 speech research to examine potential listener-oriented effect on segmental correlates of L2 comprehensibility. We strongly call for future studies which will carefully examine the complex relationship between different types of segmental features, different groups of listeners and L2 comprehensibility judgments while elaborating a controlled design (see Saito et al, 2019b). Second, although the current study employed two different tasks to elicit L2 speech, contribution to an ongoing discussion of task effect on L2 production (e.g.…”

Listening to Global Englishes: Script‐assisted shadowing

“…It showed that shadowing various Englishes with the occasional use of scripts for a short period is effective for Japanese EFL learners in adapting their perception to an unfamiliar accent. As Saito et al (2019)…”

“…Essentially, L1 and non-L1 listeners listen differently (Cutler, 2012). When listening to accented English, L1 listeners' judgment of comprehensibility is different from that of L2 listeners, in that pronunciation accuracy is a crucial factor for L1 listeners, while multiple factors (e.g., pronunciation, fluency, lexicogrammar) are crucial for L2 listeners (Saito et al, 2019). Thus, letting non-native listeners merely listen to English cannot improve their listening comprehension, let alone that of unfamiliar English variations.…”