Proficiency as a Mediating Variable of Intelligibility for Different Varieties of Accents

Abstract

Factors that affect comprehension of accented English (e.g., Harding, 2011) have been well studied, but little research examines how listeners’ proficiency affects their sensitivity to second language (L2) accent. The current study investigated the effect of test takers’ English proficiency on their comprehension ratings and ability to correctly transcribe different World Englishes accents. Ten speakers from six countries with different L1 backgrounds (i.e., North American, British, Indian, South African, Chinese, and Spanish) with varying degrees of intelligibility provided speech samples. Ninety-two listeners from South Korea at three different proficiency levels listened to speech stimuli and determined their comprehension of the content as well as the intelligibility of the speech. The results showed that listeners were differentially affected by nonnative English accented varieties, based on both the intelligibility level of the speaker and the proficiency level of the listener. These findings have implications for the assessment and instruction of listening skills in global contexts.

Co-text, context, and listening proficiency as crucial variables in intelligibility among nonnative users of English

“…Based on a large-scale experimental study, it shows that nonnative listeners at different levels profit from various types of co-textual and contextual cues when recognizing words spoken with another nonnative accent. Its findings highlight the need for a greater recognition of co(n)textual factors and listening proficiency as relevant variables in research on international intelligibility, both of which have so far received relatively little attention in the field (see also Kang, Moran, et al, 2020).…”

Assessing Second Language Listening Over the Past Twenty Years: A Review Within the Socio-Cognitive Framework

“…Another line of research focused on the intelligibility of accents ( Kang et al, 2018a , b , 2020 ). Intelligibility refers to the extent to which the speakers’ intended utterance is understood by listeners, which is generally measured by transcription tasks ( Kang et al, 2018a , b ).…”

“…Kang et al (2018b) examined the relationship between the phonetic/phonological features of speakers and intelligibility, which helps test developers to select speakers with different English accents for listening input. More recently, Kang et al (2020) examined the relationship between test-takers' proficiency levels and comprehension of different accents. They found that test-taker's proficiency levels affected their comprehension of accented speech, and the performance of intermediate-level test takers, whose TOEIC scores were between 305 and 400 (i.e., 61-80th percentile), was more sensitive to speech with different accents than the beginner and advanced groups.…”

Research in progress: Applied linguistics at Northern Arizona University, USA

“…For instance, Kang and Kevin Hirschi (with Helmer Strik and Catia Cucchiarini at Radboud University, John Hansen at the University of Texas-Dallas, and Keelan Evanini at the Educational Testing Service) are currently developing an affective interactive oral communication tutor for limited English proficiency populations. Using the 2019 IELTS joint research fund, Kang (with Seoul National University's Hyunkee Ahn and NAU's Meghan Moran and Katherine Yaw) is also applying such tools to a project analyzing the linguistic progression of Korean adult learners of English who are preparing for the IELTS (Kang et al, 2018a, 2018b, 2019; Kang et al, forthcoming). In an additional study involving speech analysis, alumna María Nelly Gutiérrez Arvizu (Universidad de Sonora) is investigating fluency features in Spanish-speaking kindergarten learners of English.…”