The Combined Effects of Immersion and Instruction on Second Language Pronunciation

Abstract

This preliminary study investigates the acquisition of second language phonology with respect to two variables: immersion in a target language community, and explicit instruction in the form of a phonetics/pronunciation class. Specifically, the research examines the second language acquisition (SLA) of specific properties of the Spanish phonology system as achieved by native speakers of English participating in a summer program in Mexico, some of whom had previously taken a Spanish phonetics course. Results suggest that it is not one factor or another in isolation that is most beneficial, but rather the combination of the two. The findings are analyzed not only in terms of how the SLA of sound systems develops, but also with respect to pedagogical, curricular, and administrative implications.

Individual developmental trajectories in the L2 acquisition of Spanish spirantization

“…Taken together, these reports suggest that immersion catalyzes learners' acquisition of Spanish spirantization. However, repeated-measures designs including a pre-and posttest have shown that learners' production changes little after studying abroad (Díaz-Campos, 2004;Lord, 2010;Nagle, Morales-Front, Moorman, & Sanz, 2016). For example, Díaz-Campos (2004) found that study abroad participants were no more likely to produce [ð] and [ɣ] after studying in Spain for ten weeks than they were beforehand.…”

The effects of explicit pronunciation instruction on the degree of perceived foreign accent in the speech of EFL learners

“…No effect of instruction was found on the degree of perceived foreign accent in the speech of the L2 learners. In Lord (2010), English learners of Spanish who had taken a Spanish phonetics course were found to be more accurate than those who did not in producing three Spanish allophones. However, it is difficult to attribute this advantage to pronunciation instruction, as no data prior to instruction was available.…”

“…A number of these studies have focused on the effect of teaching segments or individual sounds on the accuracy of L2 pronunciation (Derwing and Rossiter, 2003;Lord, 2005;Saito, 2007;Lord, 2010;Saito, 2011;Saito and Lyster, 2012;Kissling, 2013;Saito, 2013;Sturm, 2013;Derwing, Munro, Foote, Waugh and Fleming, 2014;Kennedy, Blanchet and Trofimovich, 2014). Derwing and Rossiter (2003) showed that the teaching of segments or individual sounds to L2 English learners, who were of different L1 backgrounds, was not effective in reducing the degree of perceived foreign accent in their speech.…”

Instruction Type and Online Tasks in the Acquisition of L2 Phonology: Preliminary Findings

“…In fact, research in the field of speech perception indicates that listeners can detect foreign accent in their native language in segments as short as 30 ms (Flege, 1984). Studies with regard to L2 phonology have also noted a general lack of discussion of L2 sounds in the classroom (Lord, 2010;Elliot, 1995b). If foreign accent is so noticeable, why is it not discussed at earlier levels of language instruction?…”

“…theory, discussion of articulatory phonetics) aids in the target-like production of L2 sounds (Lord, 2010;De Wilde, 2009;Huthaily, 2008), as opposed to the debate in morphosyntax. This may be due to the fact that L2 phonology has a neuromuscular basis and thus is more constrained by the critical period than other language skills (Elliot, 2003;Scovel, 1988).…”