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Article published In: Journal of Second Language Pronunciation
Vol. 5:2 (2019) ► pp.269–293

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Nonnative accent and the perceived grammaticality of spoken grammar forms

 | Concordia University
 | Concordia University
Published online: 17 September 2019
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/jslp.17039.rui
Abstract
Scholars advocate for more classroom attention to be paid to spoken grammar which deviates from commonly taught rules of writing. However, these recommendations have not considered potential barriers that learners may encounter when using spoken grammar with L1 speakers. We investigate one such challenge: the effect of learners’ accents and degree of accentedness on how their use of these forms is subjectively perceived by L1 speakers. Ten non-expert raters rated the grammatical acceptability of four frequent spoken grammar forms, read out by 15 speakers (10 L1 Tagalog, 5 L1 English) rated as having heavy, moderate, or no accents. A one-way ANOVA revealed a significant effect of accent on grammaticality scores. Post-hoc tests showed a strong correlation between accent and perceived grammaticality, with more accented speakers scoring significantly lower on grammaticality. The discussion considers implications for spoken grammar teaching, and future research on the relationship between accent and perceived grammaticality.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
    • 1.1Spoken grammar in second language teaching
    • 1.2Judgments of L2 speech and grammar
  • 2.Method
    • 2.1Stimuli
    • 2.2Speakers
    • 2.3Raters
      • 2.3.1Accentedness raters
      • 2.3.2Grammaticality raters
    • 2.4Procedure
  • 3.Analyses and results
  • 4.Discussion
    • 4.1Nonnative accent and perceptions of grammaticality
    • 4.2Effect of degree of accentedness
    • 4.3L2 speakers’ use of spoken grammar
    • 4.4Limitations and future studies
      • 4.4.1Interaction factors
      • 4.4.2Raters’ language background
      • 4.4.3Effect of spoken grammar forms
      • 4.4.4Spoken grammar in other L1/L2 contexts
      • 4.4.5Investigating rater responses
  • 5.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
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