Directions for the future of technology in pronunciation research and teaching
Mary Grantham O’Brien | University of Calgary
Tracey M. Derwing | University of Alberta/Simon Fraser University
Catia Cucchiarini | Radboud University
Debra M. Hardison | Michigan State University
Hansjörg Mixdorff | Beuth University Berlin
Ron I. Thomson | Brock University
Helmer Strik | Radboud University
Murray J. Munro | Simon Fraser University
Greta Muller Levis | Iowa State University
This paper reports on the role of technology in state-of-the-art pronunciation research and instruction, and makes concrete suggestions for future developments. The point of departure for this contribution is that the goal of second language (L2) pronunciation research and teaching should be enhanced comprehensibility and intelligibility as opposed to native-likeness. Three main areas are covered here. We begin with a presentation of advanced uses of pronunciation technology in research with a special focus on the expertise required to carry out even small-scale investigations. Next, we discuss the nature of data in pronunciation research, pointing to ways in which future work can build on advances in corpus research and crowdsourcing. Finally, we consider how these insights pave the way for researchers and developers working to create research-informed, computer-assisted pronunciation teaching resources. We conclude with predictions for future developments.
Keywords: pronunciation, data, technology, computer-assisted pronunciation teaching, research, automatic speech recognition, future directions, intelligibility, comprehensibility
This article is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license.
For any use beyond this license, please contact the publisher at rights@benjamins.nl.
Published online: 01 February 2019
https://doi.org/10.1075/jslp.17001.obr
https://doi.org/10.1075/jslp.17001.obr
Directions for the future of technology in pronunciation research and teachingReferences
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