Cover not available
Article published In:
Journal of Second Language Pronunciation
Vol. 10:1 (2024) ► pp.35–58

Effects of listeners’ dialectal variation on comprehensibility and accentedness judgements of second language speech

ORCID logo | University of Eastern Finland
This study investigated the impact of listeners’ dialectal variations within the same L1 on perceptions of L2 speech comprehensibility and accentedness. Thirty untrained British and American English-L1 raters assessed recorded L2 speech samples from 29 Finnish learners of English and provided scalar judgments for their comprehensibility and accentedness. Four linguistically trained graduate students evaluated the samples for segmental accuracy, speech rate, word stress and intonation. Results of linear mixed models indicated no significant effect of raters’ L1 variety on global comprehensibility and accentedness ratings. While American and British raters relied on same pronunciation features in their comprehensibility judgments, they placed different levels of importance on pronunciation features when making accentedness judgments. Particularly, both groups primarily exhibited sensitivity towards segmental errors in their assessments of accentedness, whereas American raters demonstrated an additional sensitivity to intonation. The findings underscore the complexity of accent perception based on the L1 variety of listeners.
Keywords: comprehensibility, accentedness, second language speech, dialects
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
    • 1.1Effects of pronunciation features on listeners’ judgements
    • 1.2Effects of listeners’ language backgrounds on L2 speech evaluation
    • 1.3The present study
  • 2.Materials and methods
    • 2.1Participants
      • 2.1.1Speakers
      • 2.1.2Listeners for global and pronunciation ratings
    • 2.2Elicited Imitation Task (EIT)
    • 2.3Speech materials
    • 2.4Global ratings
    • 2.5Pronunciation ratings
  • 3.Results
    • 3.1Global and pronunciation ratings
  • 4.Discussion
    • 4.1Limitations and future directions
  • 5.Conclusion
  • References
Published online: 23 May 2024
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/jslp.23018.gha
References (67)
References
Abrahamsson, N., & Hyltenstam, K. (2009). Age of acquisition and nativelikeness in a second language: Listener perception vs. linguistic scrutiny. Language Learning, 59 1, 249–306. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Algethami, G., Ingram, J., & Nguyen, T. (2011). The interlanguage speech intelligibility benefit: The case of Arabic accented English. In. J. Levis & K. LeVelle (Eds.). Proceedings of the 2nd Pronunciation in Second Language Learning and Teaching Conference, Sept. 2010. (pp. 30–42), Ames, IA: Iowa State University.Google Scholar
Anwyl-Irvine, A. L., Massonnié, J., Flitton, A., Kirkham, N., & Evershed, J. K. (2020). Gorilla in our midst: An online behavioral experiment builder. Behavior research methods, 52 1, 388–407. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Bates, D., Mächler, M., Bolker, B., & Walker, S. (2015). Fitting Linear Mixed-Effects Models Using lme4. Journal of Statistical Software, 67 (1), 1–48. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Bent, T., & Bradlow, A. R. (2003). The interlanguage speech intelligibility benefit. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 114 (3), 1600–1610. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Bowden, H. W. (2016). Assessing second-language oral proficiency for research: The Spanish elicited imitation task. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 38 1, 647–675. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Crowther, D., Trofimovich, P., Saito, K., & Isaacs, T. (2015a). Second language comprehensibility revisited: Investigating the effects of learner background. TESOL quarterly, 49 (4), 814–837. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Crowther, D., Trofimovich, P., Isaacs, T., & Saito, K. (2015b). Does a speaking task affect second language comprehensibility? The Modern Language Journal, 99 (1), 80–95. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Crowther, D., Trofimovich, P., Saito, K., & Isaacs, T. (2018). Linguistic dimensions of L2 accentedness and comprehensibility vary across speaking tasks. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 40(2), 443–457. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Crowther, D. (2020). Rating L2 speaker comprehensibility on monologic vs. interactive tasks: What is the effect of speaking task type? Journal of Second Language Pronunciation, 6 (1), 96–121. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Crowther, D., Holden, D., & Urada, K. (2022). Second language speech comprehensibility. Language Teaching, 55 (4), 470–489. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Derwing, T. M., Munro, M. J., & Wiebe, G. (1998). Evidence in favor of a broad framework for pronunciation instruction. Language Learning, 48 1, 393–410. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Derwing, T. M., Rossiter, M. J., Munro, M. J., & Thomson, R. I. (2004). Second language fluency: Judgments on different tasks. Language learning, 54 (4), 655–679. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Derwing, T. M., & Munro, M. J. (2009). Putting accent in its place: Rethinking obstacles to communication. Language Teaching, 42 1, 476–490. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(2013). The development of L2 oral language skills in two L1 groups: A 7-year study. Language learning, 63 (2), 163–185. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Derwing, T. M., Munro, M. J., Foote, J. A., Waugh, E., & Fleming, J. (2014). Opening the window on comprehensible pronunciation after 19 years: A workplace training study. Language Learning, 64(3), 526–548. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Derwing, T. M., & Munro, M. J. (2015). Pronunciation fundamentals: Evidence-based perspectives for L2 teaching and research. John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Derwing, T. M., Munro, M. J., Thomson, R. I., & Rossiter, M. J. (2009). The relationship between L1 fluency and L2 fluency development. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 31 (4), 533–557. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Field, J. (2005). Intelligibility and the listener: The role of lexical stress. TESOL quarterly, 39 (3), 399–423. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Flege, J., Munro, M. J., & MacKay, I. R. A. (1995). Factors affecting degree of perceived foreign accent in a second language. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 97 1, 3125–3134. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Foote, J. A., & McDonough, K. (2017). Using shadowing with mobile technology to improve L2 pronunciation. Journal of Second Language Pronunciation, 3 (1), 34–56. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Foote, J. A., & Trofimovich, P. (2018). Is it because of my language background? A study of language background influence on comprehensibility judgments. Canadian Modern Language Review, 74 (2), 253–278. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Gomez, P. (2009). British and American English pronunciation differences. Cambridge: Mayflower Press, (pp. 3–8).Google Scholar
Hahn, L. D. (2004). Primary stress and intelligibility: Research to motivate the teaching of suprasegmentals. TESOL quarterly, 38 (2), 201–223. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Hansen Edwards, J. G., Zampini, M. L., & Cunningham, C. (2018). The accentedness, comprehensibility, and intelligibility of Asian Englishes. World Englishes, 37 (4), 538–557. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Hayes-Harb, R., Smith, B. L., Bent, T., & Bradlow, A. R. (2008). The interlanguage speech intelligibility benefit for native speakers of Mandarin: Production and perception of English word-final voicing contrasts. Journal of phonetics, 36 (4), 664–679. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Huensch, A., & Nagle, C. (2021). The effect of speaker proficiency on intelligibility, comprehensibility, and accentedness in L2 Spanish: A conceptual replication and extension of Munro and Derwing (1995a). Language Learning, 71 (3), 626–668. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(2022). Revisiting the moderating effect of speaker proficiency on the relationships among intelligibility, comprehensibility, and accentedness in L2 Spanish. Studies in Second Language Acquisition. 45 (2), 571–585. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Kang, O., Rubin, D. O. N., & Pickering, L. (2010). Suprasegmental measures of accentedness and judgments of language learner proficiency in oral English. The Modern Language Journal, 94 (4), 554–566. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Kang, O. (2012). Impact of rater characteristics and prosodic features of speaker accentedness on ratings of international teaching assistants’ oral performance. Language Assessment Quarterly, 9(3), 249–269. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Kang, O., Vo, S. T., & Moran, M. K. (2016). Perceptual judgments of accented speech by listeners from different first language backgrounds. TESL-EJ, 20 (1), 1–25.Google Scholar
Kostromitina, M., & Plonsky, L. (2022). Elicited imitation tasks as a measure of L2 proficiency: A meta-analysis. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 44 (3), 886–911. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Leppänen, S., Pitkänen-Huhta, A., Nikula, T., Kytölä, S., Törmäkangas, T., Nissinen, K., Kääntä, L., Räisänen, T., Laitinen, M., Pahta, P., Koskela, H., Lähdesmäki, S., & Jousmäki, H. (2011). National survey on the English language in Finland: Uses, meanings and attitudes. Studies of Variation, Contacts and Change in English 5 1. [URL]
Levis, J. M. (2005). Changing contexts and shifting paradigms in pronunciation teaching. TESOL Quarterly, 39 1, 369–377. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Mackay, I. R., Flege, J. E., & Imai, S. (2006). Evaluating the effects of chronological age and sentence duration on degree of perceived foreign accent. Applied Psycholinguistics, 27 (2), 157–183. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
McManus, K., & Liu, Y. (2022). Using elicited imitation to measure global oral proficiency in SLA research: A close replication study. Language Teaching, 55 (1), 116–135. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Morris-Wilson, I. (1999). Attitudes towards Finnish-accented English. (Doctoral dissertation). University of Stirling.
Munro, M. J., & Derwing, T. M. (1999). Foreign accent, comprehensibility, and intelligibility in the speech of second language learners. Language Learning, 49 1, 285–310. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(2001). Modeling perceptions of the accentedness and comprehensibility of L2 speech the role of speaking rate. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 23 (4), 451–468. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(2006). The functional load principle in ESL pronunciation instruction: An exploratory study. System, 34 (4), 520–531. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(2020). Foreign accent, comprehensibilityint and intelligibility, redux. Journal of Second Language Pronunciation, 6 (3), 283–309. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Nagle, C. (2019). Developing and validating a methodology for crowdsourcing L2 speech ratings in Amazon Mechanical Turk. Journal of Second Language Pronunciation, 5 (2), 294–323. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Nagle, C. L., & Rehman, I. (2021). Doing L2 speech research online: Why and how to collect online ratings data. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 43 (4), 916–939. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Norris, J. M., Sasayama, S., & Kim, M. (2022). The relationship between poststimulus pause, learner proficiency, and working memory in an Elicited Imitation Task. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 45 (5), 1370–1387. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
O’Brien, M. G. (2014). L2 learners’ assessments of accentedness, fluency, and comprehensibility of native and nonnative German speech. Language Learning, 64 (4), 715–748. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Ockey, G. J., & French, R. (2016). From one to multiple accents on a test of L2 listening comprehension. Applied Linguistics, 37 (5), 693–715. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Ortega, L., Iwashita, N., Norris, J. M., & Rabie, S. (2002). An investigation of elicited imitation tasks in crosslinguistic SLA research. Paper presented at the 20th Second Language Research Forum , Toronto, October 3–6, 2002 [Unpublished handout retrieved from IRIS]
R Core Team (2021). R: A language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria. URL [URL]
Saito, K. (2021). What characterizes comprehensible and native-like pronunciation among English-as-a-second-language speakers? Meta-analyses of phonological, rater, and instructional factors. TESOL Quarterly, 55 (3), 866–900. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Saito, K., & Akiyama, Y. (2017). Linguistic correlates of comprehensibility in second language Japanese speech. Journal of Second Language Pronunciation, 3 (2), 199–217. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Saito, K., & Liu, Y. (2022). Roles of collocation in L2 oral proficiency revisited: Different tasks, L1 vs. L2 raters, and cross-sectional vs. longitudinal analyses. Second Language Research, 38 (3), 531–554. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Saito, K., & Shintani, N. (2016). Do native speakers of North American and Singapore English differentially perceive second language comprehensibility? TESOL Quarterly, 50 1, 421–446. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Saito, K., Trofimovich, P., & Isaacs, T. (2016). Second language speech production: Investigating linguistic correlates of comprehensibility and accentedness for learners at different ability levels. Applied Psycholinguistics, 37 (2), 217–240. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Saito, K., Tran, M., Suzukida, Y., Sun, H., Magne, V., & Ilkan, M. (2019). How do second language listeners perceive the comprehensibility of foreign-accented speech?: Roles of first language profiles, second language proficiency, age, experience, familiarity, and metacognition. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 41 (5), 1133–1149. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Saito, K., Trofimovich, P., & Isaacs, T. (2017). Using listener judgements to investigate linguistic influences on L2 comprehensibility and accentedness: A validation and generalization study. Applied Linguistics, 38 1, 439–462. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Schmid, M. S., & Hopp, H. (2014). Comparing foreign accent in L1 attrition and L2 acquisition: Range and rater effects. Language Testing, 31 (3), 367–388. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Smith, B., Bradlow, A. R., Bent, T., Solé, M. J., Recasens, D., & Romero, J. (2003). Production and perception of temporal contrasts in foreign-accented English. In Proceedings of the XVth international congress of phonetic sciences, Barcelona, Spain (pp. 519–522).Google Scholar
Stibbard, R. M., & Lee, J. I. (2006). Evidence against the mismatched interlanguage speech intelligibility benefit hypothesis. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 120 (1), 433–442. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Suzuki, S., & Kormos, J. (2020). Linguistic dimensions of comprehensibility and perceived fluency: An investigation of complexity, accuracy, and fluency in second language argumentative speech. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 42 (1), 143–167. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Suzukida, Y., & Saito, K. (2019). Which segmental features matter for successful L2 comprehensibility? Revisiting and generalizing the pedagogical value of the functional load principle. Language Teaching Research 25 (3), 431–450. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Tergujeff, E. (2021). Second language comprehensibility and accentedness across oral proficiency levels: A comparison of two L1s. System 100 1, 102567. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Trein, A. D., Alves, U. K., & Luchini, P. L. (2022). Comprehensibility ratings in non-native speaker-listener bibomials: Implications for NNL teaching. Perspectivas para o ensino de línguas 6 1, 22–32.Google Scholar
Trofimovich, P., & Isaacs, T. (2012). Disentangling accent from comprehensibility. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 15 1, 905–916. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Wu, S. L., Tio, Y. P., & Ortega, L. (2022). Elicited imitation as a measure of L2 proficiency: New insights from a comparison of two L2 English parallel forms. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 44 (1), 271–300. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Xi, X., & Mollaun, P. (2009). How do raters from India perform in scoring the TOEFL iBT™ speaking section and what kind of training helps? ETS Research Report Series, 2009(2), i–37. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Xie, X., & Fowler, C. A. (2013). Listening with a foreign-accent: The interlanguage speech intelligibility benefit in Mandarin speakers of English. Journal of Phonetics, 41 (5), 369–378. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Yao, Z., Saito, K., Trofimovich, P., & Isaacs, T. (2013). Z-Lab [Computer software]. Retrieved from [URL]