Kara McBride

The effect of rate of speech and distributed practice on the development of listening comprehension

This study investigated the effects of training learners of English as a foreign language with different rates of speech and controls over speech rate. Subjects were put into one of four treatment groups: (A) trained on listening comprehension materials recorded at a fast speed, (B) trained on slow recordings, (C) given some choice about the speed, and (D) allowed sometimes to pause playback. The group that was trained on slow materials fared the best, apparently because their bottom-up processing improved. Other groups seem to have developed their strategic listening skills more, but these did not always transfer as well to other contexts. It was also found that learners performed better when they paced their training over several days.

PERCEPCIONES ESTUDIANTILES SOBRE LAS TÉCNICAS UTILIZADAS EN LA ENSEÑANZA DEL INGLÉS COMO LENGUA EXTRANJERA

Resumen es: Este articulo presenta los resultados de un estudio de 575 estudiantes de ingles como lengua extranjera en Chile. Los participantes fueron preguntados so...

Which Features of Spanish Learners' Pronunciation Most Impact Listener Evaluations?

This study explores which features of Spanish as a foreign language (SFL) pronunciation most impact raters’ evaluations. Native Spanish speakers (NSSs) from regions with different pronunciation norms were polled: 147 evaluators from northern Mexico and 99 evaluators from central Argentina. These evaluations were contrasted with ratings from non-native SFL instructors. Evaluators rated speech samples in terms of comprehensibility and pleasantness, and identified the specific features of the learners’ pronunciation that they found either acceptable or unsatisfactory. For all groups, negative personal attributes were associated with less accurate pronunciation. Significant quantitative differences were found in groups’ ratings, with the non-native raters falling between the two groups of NSSs. The different groups of NSS raters were largely in agreement in terms of the specific pronunciation features that they identified as important, however. Compared to non-native raters, the NSSs focused more on suprasegmentals and global voice qualities. Phonemes that appear to have the greatest impact on listeners’ evaluations are identified, and teaching implications are discussed.

Do the Folk Believe that They Can Speak Their Way into Interculturality

Some of the most deliberate intercultural events happen in foreign language or second language (L2)1 classrooms. The professional organizations that set the standards and guidelines for L2 education in the United States (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) and the European Union (European Council) define as central to the mission of L2 education the development of intercultural competence in the L2 learner.2 This is a major part of the mission of L2 classes primarily because of the inextricable connection that is believed to exist between culture and language. When L2 scholars and educators refer to this relationship, they do not mean merely that each language is associated to particular cultures for historical reasons; they mean something more elemental.3 At the very least they mean that some of any culture is expressed through certain linguistic practices which could not be faithfully reproduced in full using different language, and further, that many culturally bound behaviors, perspectives, attitudes and values are expressed, transmitted, and perpetuated through the linguistic practices of each culture’s community.4 To fully participate in a culture, it is necessary to participate in its linguistic practices. Conversely, to fully learn a community’s language, it is necessary to master the use of the language as its speakers use it, which means to participate in their particular linguistic practices.