HOW DO SECOND LANGUAGE LISTENERS PERCEIVE THE COMPREHENSIBILITY OF FOREIGN-ACCENTED SPEECH? ROLES OF FIRST LANGUAGE PROFILES, SECOND LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY, AGE, EXPERIENCE, FAMILIARITY, AND METACOGNITION

• Published in: Studies in second language acquisition Vol. 41; no. 5; pp. 1133 - 1149
• Main Authors: Saito, Kazuya, Tran, Mai, Suzukida, Yui, Sun, Hui, Magne, Viktoria, Ilkan, Meltem
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Cambridge University Press 01.12.2019
• Subjects: Accentuation; Accuracy; Age Differences; Cluster analysis; English (Second Language); English Instruction; English proficiency; Experience; Familiarity; Foreign Countries; Indo European Languages; Intelligibility; Interrater Reliability; Japanese language; Language; Language Proficiency; Linguistic Borrowing; Linguistics; Listening Comprehension; Metacognition; Monolingualism; Multilingualism; Native Language; Native Speakers; Non-native accent; Phonology; Profiles; Pronunciation; Second Language Learning; Speaking; Speech; Spontaneous speech; Teaching; Teaching Experience; Teaching Methods; Japan; United Kingdom > UK; United States > US
• ISSN: 0272-2631; 1470-1545
• DOI: 10.1017/S0272263119000226

The current study examines how second language (L2) users differentially assess the comprehensibility (i.e., ease of understanding) of foreign-accented speech according to a range of background variables, including first language (L1) profiles, L2 proficiency, age, experience, familiarity, and metacognition. A total of 110 L2 listeners first evaluated the global comprehensibility of 50 spontaneous speech samples produced by low-, mid-, and high-proficiency Japanese speakers of English. The listeners were categorized into two subgroups according to a cluster analysis of their rating scores: lenient and strict. Results showed that while the lenient listeners appeared to rely equally on many linguistic areas of speech during their judgments, the strict listeners were strongly attuned to phonological accuracy. Analysis of the background questionnaire data revealed that more lenient listeners likely had higher levels of awareness of the importance of comprehensibility for communication (metacognition); regularly used L2 English in professional settings (experience); and had L1s more linguistically close to the target speech samples, Japanese-accented English (L1-L2 distance).