Variation in the L2 French Audiovisual Input: A Voice by Another Dialect Would Sound As Sweet?

Abstract

The struggles that second language learners experience when navigating the sociophonetic variability of speakers is often explained by the lack of exposure to varied input in the classroom because of its emphasis on teaching (usually invariable) standard varieties. In the realm of French as a second language (FSL) learning, our understanding of variational input in the classroom comes primarily from textbook studies; little empirical evidence has quantified the amount and kind of social speech markers (e.g., age) found in the FSL audiovisual curriculum. This study examines the audiovisual input of two FSL classrooms. Interviews and a questionnaire were used to elicit FSL instructors' criteria for selecting input, and their experiences with and attitude towards including variation in their lessons. Additionally, an analysis of the audiovisual input derived from one semester of each instructor was categorized by clip length and by five social markers: age, gender, race, region, and native speaker status. Results showed that the instructors held positive viewpoints towards including variation; however, the audiovisual input in both settings was invariant across multiple social markers, accounting for less than 5% of total class time. Suggestions for incorporating more varied input in the language learning curriculum will be discussed.