Transfer of suprasegmental improvements to novel sentences and segmental accuracy using real time audiovisual pitch training

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2020-01-01
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Tan, April
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John Levis
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Abstract

It has been widely established that attaining a nativelike accent involves the mastery of the segmental and suprasegmental features of a dialect. Little research, however, has been dedicated to the study of these features as a whole and if, and how, they interact with one another. Even fewer have empirically investigated the role of computer assisted pronunciation technology (CAPT) in facilitating this interaction while taking into account participants' experience. Drawing on previous research, this study investigates the potential transfer between the segmental and suprasegmental aspects of pronunciation learning using CAPT, with the goal of helping actors attain a nativelike accent. Using a pretest-posttest design, participants were divided into the control audiolingual group (CAD), who received auditory-only input, and the experimental group (EXP), who were afforded real-time audiovisual input. Participants pretest-posttest utterances (n = 35) were rated by 3 raters for overall nativelikess, segmentals, and suprasegmentals improvements. Overall, the data revealed that the EXP group outperformed the CAD group in every pretest-posttest category except the suprasegmental category, but that the CAD group outperformed the EXP group in the production of novel sentences. The findings suggest that CAPT was helpful in facilitating a segmental-suprasegmental transfer, but not a transfer to novel sentences. Lastly, participants in the EXP group reported an overall positive experience with using CAPT in pronunciation learning. This study points to the continued need for research as insights are essential for both pedagogy and research in L2 pronunciation.

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Fri May 01 00:00:00 UTC 2020
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