In pronunciation, segmental accuracy has been recognized as an important aspect in contributing t... more In pronunciation, segmental accuracy has been recognized as an important aspect in contributing to a non-native speaker\u27s intelligibility. Nonetheless, there has been a lack of research focusing on the role of segmental errors in understanding extended discourse. Furthermore, previous research studies on intelligibility have largely been conducted in a controlled condition where a listener\u27s cognitive process is more limited than in a real-life setting. In addition, proficiency level has not been considered as one of the factors contributing the intelligibility of non-native speech. This thesis uses a think-aloud methodology to investigate how native English speakers perceived how segmental errors contributed to reduced intelligibility of academic discourse produced by three Korean speakers with varying oral proficiency.;Five native American English listeners watched the teaching demonstrations performed by the three Korean speakers of English who had been rated as being at th...
Mispronunciations of vowel and consonant (segmental) sounds are among the most frequent and ident... more Mispronunciations of vowel and consonant (segmental) sounds are among the most frequent and identifiable types of difficulties in second language speech. This study examined the extent to which the pronunciation of non-standard segmental sounds contributed to how often listeners noticed difficulties in understanding, and how the assessed spoken proficiency levels of nonnative English speakers were related to the native English speaking listeners’ understanding. Five linguistically-trained native American English listeners watched video-recorded teaching demonstrations of three Korean speakers of English whose oral proficiency in English had been rated at three different levels (low, intermediate, and advanced). The speakers were international teaching assistants (ITAs), or in preparation to be so. The listeners, using think-aloud techniques, paused whenever they had difficulty understanding. They then verbally described the nature of the difficulty they experienced, similar to the procedure used by Zielinski (2008). The findings showed that listeners stopped more frequently for the ITAs who had been rated as low and intermediate in oral ability than they did for the advanced speaker. In addition, the reasons for stopping varied according to the speakers’ levels. The findings of this study indicate that final consonants should be treated as an important carrier of grammatical, topical, and discoursal cues in academic talk. The findings also indicate that accuracy in some stressed vowel sounds is particularly important, and that they should be highlighted in teaching and mentoring ITAs.
Mispronunciations of vowel and consonant (segmental) sounds are among the most frequent and ident... more Mispronunciations of vowel and consonant (segmental) sounds are among the most frequent and identifiable types of difficulties in second language speech. This study examined the extent to which the pronunciation of non-standard segmental sounds contributed to how often listeners noticed difficulties in understanding, and how the assessed spoken proficiency levels of nonnative English speakers were related to the native English speaking listeners’ understanding. Five linguistically-trained native American English listeners watched video-recorded teaching demonstrations of three Korean speakers of English whose oral proficiency in English had been rated at three different levels (low, intermediate, and advanced). The speakers were international teaching assistants (ITAs), or in preparation to be so. The listeners, using think-aloud techniques, paused whenever they had difficulty understanding. They then verbally described the nature of the difficulty they experienced, similar to the procedure used by Zielinski (2008). The findings showed that listeners stopped more frequently for the ITAs who had been rated as low and intermediate in oral ability than they did for the advanced speaker. In addition, the reasons for stopping varied according to the speakers’ levels. The findings of this study indicate that final consonants should be treated as an important carrier of grammatical, topical, and discoursal cues in academic talk. The findings also indicate that accuracy in some stressed vowel sounds is particularly important, and that they should be highlighted in teaching and mentoring ITAs.
In pronunciation, segmental accuracy has been recognized as an important aspect in contributing t... more In pronunciation, segmental accuracy has been recognized as an important aspect in contributing to a non-native speaker\u27s intelligibility. Nonetheless, there has been a lack of research focusing on the role of segmental errors in understanding extended discourse. Furthermore, previous research studies on intelligibility have largely been conducted in a controlled condition where a listener\u27s cognitive process is more limited than in a real-life setting. In addition, proficiency level has not been considered as one of the factors contributing the intelligibility of non-native speech. This thesis uses a think-aloud methodology to investigate how native English speakers perceived how segmental errors contributed to reduced intelligibility of academic discourse produced by three Korean speakers with varying oral proficiency.;Five native American English listeners watched the teaching demonstrations performed by the three Korean speakers of English who had been rated as being at th...
Mispronunciations of vowel and consonant (segmental) sounds are among the most frequent and ident... more Mispronunciations of vowel and consonant (segmental) sounds are among the most frequent and identifiable types of difficulties in second language speech. This study examined the extent to which the pronunciation of non-standard segmental sounds contributed to how often listeners noticed difficulties in understanding, and how the assessed spoken proficiency levels of nonnative English speakers were related to the native English speaking listeners’ understanding. Five linguistically-trained native American English listeners watched video-recorded teaching demonstrations of three Korean speakers of English whose oral proficiency in English had been rated at three different levels (low, intermediate, and advanced). The speakers were international teaching assistants (ITAs), or in preparation to be so. The listeners, using think-aloud techniques, paused whenever they had difficulty understanding. They then verbally described the nature of the difficulty they experienced, similar to the procedure used by Zielinski (2008). The findings showed that listeners stopped more frequently for the ITAs who had been rated as low and intermediate in oral ability than they did for the advanced speaker. In addition, the reasons for stopping varied according to the speakers’ levels. The findings of this study indicate that final consonants should be treated as an important carrier of grammatical, topical, and discoursal cues in academic talk. The findings also indicate that accuracy in some stressed vowel sounds is particularly important, and that they should be highlighted in teaching and mentoring ITAs.
Mispronunciations of vowel and consonant (segmental) sounds are among the most frequent and ident... more Mispronunciations of vowel and consonant (segmental) sounds are among the most frequent and identifiable types of difficulties in second language speech. This study examined the extent to which the pronunciation of non-standard segmental sounds contributed to how often listeners noticed difficulties in understanding, and how the assessed spoken proficiency levels of nonnative English speakers were related to the native English speaking listeners’ understanding. Five linguistically-trained native American English listeners watched video-recorded teaching demonstrations of three Korean speakers of English whose oral proficiency in English had been rated at three different levels (low, intermediate, and advanced). The speakers were international teaching assistants (ITAs), or in preparation to be so. The listeners, using think-aloud techniques, paused whenever they had difficulty understanding. They then verbally described the nature of the difficulty they experienced, similar to the procedure used by Zielinski (2008). The findings showed that listeners stopped more frequently for the ITAs who had been rated as low and intermediate in oral ability than they did for the advanced speaker. In addition, the reasons for stopping varied according to the speakers’ levels. The findings of this study indicate that final consonants should be treated as an important carrier of grammatical, topical, and discoursal cues in academic talk. The findings also indicate that accuracy in some stressed vowel sounds is particularly important, and that they should be highlighted in teaching and mentoring ITAs.
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