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Article published In:
Belgian Journal of Linguistics, Volume 37 (2023): Tangible Traces of Language Ideologies
Edited by Esther Baiwir, Janine Berns and Marie Steffens
[Belgian Journal of Linguistics 37] 2023
► pp. 118–143

The native speaker ideal in FL pronunciation teaching practice

Evolving norms for English and French

| Radboud University
| Radboud University

Language teaching practice is known to come with more or less implicit views on what ‘good pronunciation’ sounds like. However, over the past decades, frameworks such as the communicative approach to language learning and the wish for social inclusion have led to a gradual shift in normative thinking, with intelligibility becoming increasingly valued over the acquisition of a native-like accent, especially at lower levels of proficiency. This contribution traces the evolution of pronunciation norms, ideologies and teaching practices for French and English. We zoom in on the past 150 years, a period in which the relative importance of English and French in international communication was gradually reversed and foreign language learning became a school subject, readily accessible to all pupils. We will supplement our historical overview by an exploratory investigation of current foreign MA foreign language teacher trainees’ experiences and attitudes. While a near-native accent is still seen as a sign of academic success for language students, this new generation of language professionals is very much aware of the fact that pupils who start learning languages in secondary school should first and foremost be sensitized to the target language pronunciation in a safe environment, with feasible and communicatively-relevant norms.

Keywords: pronunciation, English, French, native speaker norm, language learning
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Learning the phonetics and phonology of the TL
  • 3.Grammar Translation and beyond
  • 4.The Reform Movement
  • 5.Audiolingualism and the oral approach
  • 6.Accuracy vs. fluency: Communicative language teaching
    • 6.1Pronunciation no longer in the foreground
    • 6.2The Communicative Approach
    • 6.3The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages
  • 7.Recent developments
    • 7.1Pronunciation variation and models
    • 7.2The CEFR Companion Volume
  • 8.Future MFL teachers’ attitudes to pronunciation instruction
    • 8.1Informants
    • 8.2Experiences, ideas and attitudes
      • 8.2.1Sensitisation and models
      • 8.2.2Classroom practice
      • 8.2.3Perceived limitations
  • 9.Discussion and conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
Available under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 license.

For any use beyond this license, please contact the publisher at [email protected].

Published online: 6 June 2024
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/bjl.00083.ber
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