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Article published In: Journal of Second Language Pronunciation
Vol. 4:1 (2018) ► pp.103–128

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Investigating L1 lay assessments of L2 French pronunciation

 | St. Jerome’s in the University of Waterloo
Published online: 31 May 2018
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https://doi.org/10.1075/jslp.00005.lap
Abstract
This study examined how 10 English Canadian students reading a 122-word passage in French were assessed by a diverse group of 40 native speaker lay listeners in France, thus addressing a lacuna in current pronunciation research. Both stimulus factors and listener effects were investigated. Quantitative and qualitative data revealed strong correlations between perceptions of accentedness and comprehensibility, and between lay ratings and those made by two experts. Results highlighted the impact phonemic errors and rate of speech have on rater judgments, while linkings (liaisons) and other prosodic elements seemed to play a minor role. Recommendations are made for a follow-up study using a larger sample.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Previous studies
  • 3.Method
    • 3.1Speech samples
    • 3.2Transcription of stimuli and coding of errors
    • 3.3Native speaker participants
    • 3.4Procedure
  • 4.Analyses
  • 5.Results
    • 5.1Quantitative analyses
      • 5.1.1Group of 40 lay listeners
      • 5.1.2Lay vs Expert Assessments
      • 5.1.3Stimulus features analyses
    • 5.2Qualitative data
      • 5.2.1Debriefing notes
      • 5.2.2Free-style responses
  • 6.Discussion
    • 6.1Research Question 1
    • 6.2Research Question 2
    • 6.3Limitations and recommendations for future research
    • 6.4Pedagogical implications
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
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