The use of technology in teaching ELF pronunciation: a help or a hinderance?

• Published in: Englishes in Practice Vol. 6; no. 1; pp. 20 - 33
• Main Author: Raine, Paul
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sciendo 01.09.2023
• Subjects: Automatic Speech Recognition; Computer Assisted Pronunciation Training; ELF pronunciation; English as a Global Lingua Franca
• ISSN: 2049-7156; 2049-7156
• DOI: 10.2478/eip-2023-0002

As the world’s premier lingua franca, English plays an instrumental role in global communication and cultural exchanges. Given that an individual’s English pronunciation is closely tied to their cultural and national identity, English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) emphasizes intelligibility as the primary criterion to gauge pronunciation success. This paper investigates the interplay between ELF, globalization, and interculturality, with particular attention on how technology facilitates the teaching of English pronunciation in ELF scenarios. It provides an in-depth qualitative analysis of educators’ perceptions on the role of technology as an enabler or inhibitor in teaching ELF pronunciation. The research affirms that teachers’ beliefs are consistent with the existing literature. The study concludes that state-of-the-art technology should be leveraged in ELF pronunciation instruction, provided it enhances intelligibility and avoids excessively discouraging learners whose pronunciation diverges from native norms.