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COMPREHENSION-BASED PRACTICE

The Development of L2 Pronunciation in a Listening and Reading Program

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 December 2009

Pavel Trofimovich ,
Patsy M. Lightbown ,
Randall H. Halter  and
Hyojin Song
Pavel Trofimovich*
Affiliation:
Concordia University
Patsy M. Lightbown
Affiliation:
Concordia University
Randall H. Halter
Affiliation:
Concordia University
Hyojin Song
Affiliation:
Concordia University
*
*Address correspondence to: Pavel Trofimovich, Concordia University, Department of Education, 1455 de Maisonneuve Blvd. West, Montréal, Québec, Canada H3G 1M8; e-mail: [email protected].
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Abstract

We report the results of a 2-year longitudinal comparison of grade 3 and grade 4 English-as-a-second-language learners in an experimental, comprehension-based program and those in a regular (i.e., more typical) language learning program. The goal was to examine the extent to which sustained, long-term comprehension practice in both listening and reading—in the virtual absence of any speaking—can help develop learners’ second language (L2) pronunciation. We analyzed learners’ sentences from an elicited imitation task using several accuracy and fluency measures as well as listener ratings of accentedness, comprehensibility, and fluency. We found no differences between the two programs at the end of year 1. However, at the end of year 2, there were some differences—namely, in the listener ratings of fluency and comprehensibility—that favored learners in the regular program. These findings highlight the beneficial effects of comprehension practice for the development of L2 pronunciation but also point to some potential limits of this practice.

Type
Research Articles
Information
Studies in Second Language Acquisition , Volume 31 , Issue 4 , December 2009 , pp. 609 - 639
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

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