Revisiting the Intelligibility and Nativeness Principles

Thumbnail Image
Date
2020-10-29
Authors
Major Professor
Advisor
Committee Member
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract

Levis (2005) named two conflicting approaches to pronunciation teaching, the Nativeness Principle and the Intelligibility Principle. This paper revisits those two principles to argue for the superiority of the Intelligibility Principle in regard to where pronunciation fits within the wider field of language teaching, in how it effectively addresses teaching goals, in how it best addresses all contexts of L2 pronunciation learning, and in how it recognizes the reality of social consequences of pronunciation differences. In contrast, the Nativeness Principle, despite its long pedigree and many defenders, falls short by advocating native pronunciation for L2 learners, which is both unlikely to be achieved and unnecessary for effective communication in the L2.

Series Number
Journal Issue
Is Version Of
Versions
Series
Academic or Administrative Unit
Type
article
Comments

This accepted article is published as Levis, J., Revisiting the Intelligibility and Nativeness Principles. Journal of Second Language Pronunciation, Oct 2020 doi: 10.1075/jslp.20050.lev. Posted with permission.

Rights Statement
Copyright
Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 UTC 2020
Funding
DOI
Supplemental Resources
Collections