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Article In: Journal of Second Language Pronunciation: Online-First Articles

Phonetic and affective roles of co-speech gesture in L2 pronunciation

ORCiD logo with link | Colgate UniversityHamiltonNew York
 | Independent researcher
 | Independent researcher
 | Independent researcher
 | The University of Puerto Rico
 | Colgate UniversityHamiltonNew York
This content is being prepared for publication; it may be subject to changes.
Abstract
Second-language (L2) instructors often use hand gestures to teach pronunciation, yet empirical benefits vary in size and scope. Focusing on L2 Mandarin tone production, we explored whether physically exaggerating and emotionally emphasizing tone gestures enhanced pronunciation. Participants imitated videos of a native speaker producing tones in three conditions: Speech (S), Speech+​Gesture (SG), and Speech+​Gesture+​Enthusiasm (SGE). In S, the native speaker spoke tones without arm movements or enthusiastic facial expressions. In SG and SGE, exaggerated hand gestures followed tone contour, and in SGE, the speaker also produced enthusiastic facial expressions. While gesture and enthusiastic expressions yielded only modest pronunciation benefits — slightly higher F0 for Tone 1 and greater Tone 3 lengthening toward native values — self-ratings of motivation, enjoyment, preference, and helpfulness were substantially higher for SG and SGE than S, suggesting that gesture and enthusiastic expressions in L2 may influence affective experience more than correct pronunciation.
Article outline
  • Phonetic and affective roles of co-speech gesture in L2 pronunciation
    • The body as a teaching tool
    • Affective factors in L2 learning
    • The present study
  • Method
    • Participants
    • Materials
      • Tonal stimuli
      • Video and audio recording for stimulus sets
      • Post-experiment evaluation
    • Procedure
      • Instructions
      • Practice trials
      • Experimental trials
      • Post-experiment evaluation
    • Design, labeling, and analysis
      • F
      • Duration
      • Post-experiment evaluation: Questionnaire
  • Results
    • Acoustic analyses
      • F
      • Duration
    • Self-assessment questionnaire
      • Motivation
      • Helpfulness and intuitiveness
      • Preference
      • Enjoyment
  • Discussion
    • Acoustic Measures
    • Affective measures
    • Limitations of present study
    • Multiple functions of gesture and enthusiasm
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • Author queries
  • References
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