A major model of L2 pronunciation developed by James Emil Flege (e.g., 1995) that posits three types of sounds: new , similar , and same . Similar sounds are theoretically the most challenging for L2 speakers since they are similar, but not identical to, a nearby L1 category. Equivalence classification is the process by which L2 speakers perceive an L2 sound as an instance of an L1 category, blocking the formation of a new phonetic category. This leads to non-target-like realization of the L2 sound.
Published in Chapter:
Disentangling Research on Study Abroad and Pronunciation: Methodological and Programmatic Considerations
Charles L. Nagle (Iowa State University, USA), Alfonso Morales-Front (Georgetown University, USA), Colleen Moorman (Georgetown University, USA), and Cristina Sanz (Georgetown University, USA)
Copyright: © 2016
|Pages: 23
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-5225-0169-5.ch027
Abstract
Despite intuitive and theoretically motivated claims that Study Abroad (SA) is an optimal environment for language development, including pronunciation gains, research on its effectiveness has produced contradictory results. Furthermore, there is little known about short-term study abroad programs, where matriculation numbers are increasing faster than ever before. This chapter analyzes pre- and post-SA oral production data from 18 advanced learners of Spanish, focusing on stop consonants (/p, t, k, b, d, g/). Development was defined in terms of voice onset time for /p, t, k/ and a 5-point lenition measure for /b, d, g/. Learners produced significantly shorter VOT values after the SA program, though there was not a similar improvement in lenition score. Therefore, the intensive, six-week SA experience yielded substantial gains in L2 pronunciation for these advanced learners of Spanish. Results are discussed in light of advances in both research methodology and study abroad program design.