Explicit Knowledge of Second Language Phonology: A Study of Korean Learners of English

• Published in: EONEOHAG no. 85; pp. 269 - 288
• Main Author: Mi Sun Park
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 사단법인 한국언어학회 01.12.2019
• Subjects: 언어학; L2 pronunciation; second language phonology; explicit knowledge
• ISSN: 1225-7494; 2508-4429
• DOI: 10.17290/jlsk.2019..85.269

The present study delves into the construct of second language (L2) phonological knowledge. Two groups of Korean learners of English (n = 18 each), differing in proficiency in L2, took two tasks: one was purported to assess pronunciation accuracy, and the other measured the learners' L2 explicit knowledge of L2 phonology, operationalized as the abilities to provide verbal explanation about the target L2 phonological forms and rules presented in a set of aural stimuli. Comparison of the two groups' task performance revealed noticeable between-group differences in pronunciation accuracy but not in the performance on the task measuring explicit L2 phonological knowledge. The L2 learners were, in general, able to verbally describe and explain L2 segmental and prosodic features (sometimes using relevant metalanguage), but there were significant differences in these learners' abilities to accurately use L2 phonological forms and rules. The paper discusses implications for teaching L2 pronunciation and future research on phonological knowledge. KCI Citation Count: 0