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Article published In:
Journal of Second Language Pronunciation
Vol. 5:1 (2019) ► pp.72–97

The effectiveness of real-time ultrasound visual feedback on tongue movements in L2 pronunciation training

Japanese learners’ progress on the French vowel contrast /y/-/u/

| Charles University in Prague
| Université Sorbonne Nouvelle
| Université Paris 8 Vincennes – Saint-Denis | Université Sorbonne Nouvelle

The purpose of this study was to test the usability of ultrasound as a visual feedback tool in L2 pronunciation training. Six Japanese-speaking learners, aged 28–33 years, participating in a course in French phonetics for L2 learners, took part in the study. Four of them received three individual 45-minute lessons of ultrasound pronunciation training. The other two participants did not. Articulatory and acoustic data of French isolated /y/ and /u/ and Japanese [ɯ] were recorded before and after the ultrasound training, as well as two months later for the learners receiving the training. The analysis of the articulatory data revealed that three speakers with ultrasound feedback improved in the production of the French vowels, the contrast between them, as well as the contrast between the two French vowels and the Japanese [ɯ], suggesting that ultrasound may be a useful tool in second language pronunciation learning.

Keywords: ultrasound, visual feedback, L2, pronunciation training, French vowel contrasts, high rounded vowels, tongue position, Japanese-speaking learners
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
    • 1.1Japanese learners of French
    • 1.2Perception-based L2 pronunciation learning
    • 1.3Articulatory-based L2 pronunciation training
  • 2.Method
    • 2.1Participants
    • 2.2Ultrasound training lessons
    • 2.3Data collection
    • 2.4Ultrasound data analysis
    • 2.5Questionnaire regarding learners’ experience with ultrasound training
  • 3.Results
    • 3.1Tongue contours
      • 3.1.1Native French speaker
      • 3.1.2Experimental group
      • 3.1.3Control group
    • 3.2Horizontal position of the highest point of the tongue contour
    • 3.3Learners’ experience with the ultrasound training
  • 4.Discussion
    • 4.1Ultrasound pronunciation training
    • 4.2Relationship between speech perception and production in L2 learning
    • 4.3Future work
  • 5.Conclusions
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
Published online: 13 March 2019
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/jslp.16022.ant
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