Development of Second Language French Oral Skills in an Instructed Setting: A Focus on Speech Ratings

Canadian Association of Applied Linguistics / Association Canadienne de Linguistique Appliquée. Departement de langues, linguistique et traduction, Pavillon de Koninck, Universite Laval, Quebec, QC G1K 7P4, Canada. Web site: http://www.aclacaal.org

Y

19

French; Second Language Instruction; Language Skills; Pronunciation; Listening; Language Fluency; Language Proficiency; Adults; Suprasegmentals; Comparative Analysis; Oral Reading; Pictorial Stimuli; Speech Communication; Foreign Countries; Pretests Posttests; Audio Equipment; Coding; Statistical Analysis

1481-868X

This study examined the relationship between targeted pronunciation instruction in French as a second language (L2) and listener-based ratings of accent, comprehensibility, and fluency. The ratings by 20 French listeners evaluating the speech of 30 adult L2 French learners enrolled in a 15-week listening and speaking course targeting segments, prosody, fluency, and connected speech processes (e.g., liaison, enchainment) were compared before and after instruction in read-aloud and extemporaneous (picture description) speaking tasks. Results showed that the learners improved in all speech ratings, especially in extemporaneous speaking. Results also revealed that accent ratings were linked to prosody (intonation accuracy, pitch range), while fluency and comprehensibility ratings were additionally linked to fluency phenomena (length of fluent run, hesitation rate). These findings are discussed in terms of their implications for L2 pronunciation learning and links between instruction, listener-rated dimensions of speech, and performance in different tasks.

As Provided

59

2017

EJ1161178