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Talia Isaacs - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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lexical aspects of Comprehensibility and nativeness from the perspective of native speaking english raters
ITL – International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 2019Co-Authors: Randy Appel, Pavel Trofimovich, Kazuya Saito, Talia Isaacs, Stuart WebbAbstract:This study analyzed the contribution of lexical factors to native-speaking raters’ assessments of Comprehensibility and nativeness in second language (L2) speech. Using transcribed samples to reduce non-lexical sources of bias, 10 naive L1 English raters evaluated speech samples from 97 L2 English learners across two tasks (picture description and TOEFL integrated). Subsequently, the 194 transcripts were analyzed through statistical software (e.g., Coh-metrix, VocabProfile) for 29 variables spanning various lexical dimensions. For the picture description task, separation in lexical correlates of the two constructs was found, with distinct lexical measures tied to Comprehensibility and nativeness. In the TOEFL integrated task, Comprehensibility and nativeness were largely indistinguishable, with identical sets of lexical variables, covering dimensions of diversity and range. Findings are discussed in relation to the acquisition, assessment, and teaching of lexical properties in L2 speech.
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linguistic dimensions of l2 accentedness and Comprehensibility vary across speaking tasks
Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 2017Co-Authors: Dustin Crowther, Pavel Trofimovich, Kazuya Saito, Talia IsaacsAbstract:This study critically examined the previously reported partial independence between second language (L2) accentedness (degree to which L2 speech differs from the target variety) and Comprehensibility (ease of understanding). In prior work, Comprehensibility was linked to multiple linguistic dimensions of L2 speech (phonology, fluency, lexis, grammar) whereas accentedness was narrowly associated with L2 phonology. However, these findings stemmed from a single task (picture narrative), suggesting that task type could affect the particular linguistic measures distinguishing Comprehensibility from accentedness. To address this limitation, speech ratings of 10 native listeners assessing 60 speakers of L2 English in three tasks (picture narrative, IELTS, TOEFL) were analyzed, targeting two global ratings (accentedness, Comprehensibility) and 10 linguistic measures (segmental and word stress accuracy, intonation, rhythm, speech rate, grammatical accuracy and complexity, lexical richness and complexity, discourse richness). Linguistic distinctions between accentedness and Comprehensibility were less pronounced in the cognitively complex task (TOEFL), with overlapping sets of phonology, lexis, and grammar variables contributing to listener ratings of accentedness and Comprehensibility. This finding points to multifaceted, task-specific relationships between these two constructs.
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lexical correlates of Comprehensibility versus accentedness in second language speech
Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 2016Co-Authors: Kazuya Saito, Pavel Trofimovich, Stuart Webb, Talia IsaacsAbstract:The current project investigated the extent to which several lexical aspects of second language (L2) speech – appropriateness, fluency, variation, sophistication, abstractness, sense relations – interact to influence native speakers’ judgements of Comprehensibility (ease of understanding) and accentedness (linguistic nativelikeness). Extemporaneous speech elicited from 40 French speakers of English with varied L2 proficiency levels was first evaluated by 10 native-speaking raters for Comprehensibility and accentedness. Subsequently, the dataset was transcribed and analyzed for 12 lexical factors. Various lexical properties of L2 speech were found to be associated with L2 Comprehensibility, and especially lexical accuracy (lemma appropriateness) and complexity (polysemy), indicating that these lexical variables are associated with successful L2 communication. In contrast, native speakers’ accent judgements seemed to be linked to surface-level details of lexical content (abstractness) and form (variation, morphological accuracy) rather than to its conceptual and contextual details (e.g., lemma appropriateness, polysemy).
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second language speech production investigating linguistic correlates of Comprehensibility and accentedness for learners at different ability levels
Applied Psycholinguistics, 2016Co-Authors: Kazuya Saito, Pavel Trofimovich, Talia IsaacsAbstract:The current project aimed to investigate the potentially different linguistic correlates of Comprehensibility (i.e., ease of understanding) and accentedness (i.e., linguistic nativelikeness) in adult second language (L2) learners’ extemporaneous speech production. Timed picture descriptions from 120 beginner, intermediate, and advanced Japanese learners of English were analyzed using native speaker global judgments based on learners’ Comprehensibility and accentedness, and then submitted to segmental, prosodic, temporal, lexical, and grammatical analyses. Results showed that Comprehensibility was related to all linguistic domains, and accentedness was strongly tied with pronunciation (specifically segmentals) rather than lexical and grammatical domains. In particular, linguistic correlates of L2 Comprehensibility and accentedness were found to vary by learners’ proficiency levels. In terms of Comprehensibility, optimal rate of speech, appropriate and rich vocabulary use, and adequate and varied prosody were important for beginner to intermediate levels, whereas segmental accuracy, good prosody, and correct grammar featured strongly for intermediate to advanced levels. For accentedness, grammatical complexity was a feature of intermediate to high-level performance, whereas segmental and prosodic variables were essential to accentedness across all levels. These findings suggest that syllabi tailored to learners’ proficiency level (beginner, intermediate, or advanced) and learning goal (Comprehensibility or nativelike accent) would be advantageous for the teaching of L2 speaking.
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second language Comprehensibility revisited investigating the effects of learner background
TESOL Quarterly, 2015Co-Authors: Dustin Crowther, Pavel Trofimovich, Kazuya Saito, Talia IsaacsAbstract:The current study investigated first language (L1) effects on listener judgment of Comprehensibility and accentedness in second language (L2) speech. The participants were 60 university-level adult speakers of English from four L1 backgrounds (Chinese, Romance, Hindi, Farsi), with 15 speakers per group, performing a picture narrative task. Ten native English listeners used continuous sliding scales to evaluate the speakers’ audio recordings for Comprehensibility, accentedness, as well as 10 linguistic variables drawn from the domains of pronunciation, fluency, lexis, grammar, and discourse. While Comprehensibility was associated with several linguistic variables (segmentals, prosody, fluency, lexis, grammar), accentedness was primarily linked to pronunciation (segmentals, word stress, intonation). The relative strength of these associations also varied as a function of the speakers’ L1, especially for Comprehensibility, with Chinese speakers influenced chiefly by pronunciation variables (specifically segmental errors), Hindi speakers by lexicogrammar variables, Romance speakers by variables spanning both pronunciation and lexicogrammar domains, and Farsi speakers showing no strong association with any linguistic variable. These results overall suggest that speakers’ L1 plays an important role in listener judgments of L2 Comprehensibility and that instructors aiming to promote L2 speakers’ communicative success may need to expand their teaching targets beyond segmentals to include prosody-, fluency-, and lexicogrammar-based targets.
Pavel Trofimovich - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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lexical aspects of Comprehensibility and nativeness from the perspective of native speaking english raters
ITL – International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 2019Co-Authors: Randy Appel, Pavel Trofimovich, Kazuya Saito, Talia Isaacs, Stuart WebbAbstract:This study analyzed the contribution of lexical factors to native-speaking raters’ assessments of Comprehensibility and nativeness in second language (L2) speech. Using transcribed samples to reduce non-lexical sources of bias, 10 naive L1 English raters evaluated speech samples from 97 L2 English learners across two tasks (picture description and TOEFL integrated). Subsequently, the 194 transcripts were analyzed through statistical software (e.g., Coh-metrix, VocabProfile) for 29 variables spanning various lexical dimensions. For the picture description task, separation in lexical correlates of the two constructs was found, with distinct lexical measures tied to Comprehensibility and nativeness. In the TOEFL integrated task, Comprehensibility and nativeness were largely indistinguishable, with identical sets of lexical variables, covering dimensions of diversity and range. Findings are discussed in relation to the acquisition, assessment, and teaching of lexical properties in L2 speech.
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toward a dynamic view of second language Comprehensibility
Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 2019Co-Authors: Charles L Nagle, Pavel Trofimovich, Annie BergeronAbstract:This study took a dynamic approach to second language (L2) Comprehensibility, examining how listeners construct Comprehensibility profiles for L2 Spanish speakers during the listening task and what features enhance or diminish Comprehensibility. Listeners were 24 native Spanish speakers who evaluated 2–5 minute audio clips recorded by three university-level L2 Spanish speakers responding to two prompts. Listeners rated Comprehensibility dynamically, using Idiodynamic Software to upgrade or downgrade Comprehensibility over the course of the listening task. Dynamic ratings for one audio clip were video-captured for stimulated recall, and listeners were interviewed to understand which aspects of L2 speech were associated with enhanced versus diminished Comprehensibility. Results indicated that clips that were downgraded more often received lower global ratings but upgrading was not associated with higher ratings. Certain problematic features and individual episodes caused listeners’ impressions to converge, though substantial individual variation among listeners was evident.
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linguistic dimensions of accentedness and Comprehensibility exploring task and listener effects in second language french
Foreign Language Annals, 2017Co-Authors: Annie Bergeron, Pavel TrofimovichAbstract:IntroductionThe ability to successfully communicate in a second language (L2) has become increasingly important as interactions across cultural and linguistic boundaries become increasingly frequent. Within this larger context, L2 communication is often equated with speakers' capacity to "pass" for a native speaker or their ability to sound nativelike (e.g., Jenkins, 2000). Levis (2005) described this belief in terms of the nativeness principle, referring to the reduction of a speaker's accent as being one of the goals of language teaching. Nativeness (defined in this manner) is typically measured through listeners' accentedness ratings, targeting how strongly L2 speech is influenced by the speaker's native language (L1) or is colored by other nonnative features (Derwing & Munro, 2015).According to Levis (2005), intelligibility and Comprehensibility offer another frame for understanding pronunciation. Intelligibility refers to listeners' actual understanding of L2 speech and is assessed through listeners' transcriptions of an utterance (e.g., Munro & Derwing, 1999) or their performance on cloze tests (e.g., Hayes-Harb, Smith, Bent, & Bradlow, 2008). Comprehensibility, which denotes listeners' perceived ease or difficulty in understanding a speaker's L2 speech, is traditionally measured through listener-based scalar ratings. Because Comprehensibility ratings are highly correlated with intelligibility measures (Derwing & Munro, 2015), Comprehensibility is both a user-friendly and a popular metric of understanding in a broad sense (Levis, 2005) included in various high-stakes assessment instruments (e.g., the Test of English as a Foreign Language [TOEFL], the International English Language Test System [IELTS]). Focusing on the constructs of intelligibility and Comprehensibility shifts the emphasis from nativelike speech to a focus on attaining understandable speech.Regardless of L2 speakers' orientation toward nonaccented speech or toward intelligible or comprehensible performance, a fundamental question for language researchers and instructors wishing to help their learners attain their goals is which linguistic dimensions of L2 speech are associated with accent and which are linked to Comprehensibility. This study explored this question in L2 French. The specific goal was to determine to what extent the pronunciation, fluency, lexis, and grammar dimensions of speech might be associated with L2 French speakers' accentedness (global measure of nativelikeness) and which might be uniquely linked to their Comprehensibility (global measure of understanding) across two tasks (a picture narrative and an interview) for listeners who had and did not have prior experience with speakers' L1.Review of LiteratureLinguistic Correlates of Accentedness and ComprehensibilityResearch has shown that even in the presence of a strong accent, L2 utterances can still be fully understood (e.g., Derwing & Munro, 2015). However, what is less obvious is whether accentedness and Comprehensibility can be distinguished at the level of the linguistic dimensions underlying each construct. For instance, various measures of pronunciation and fluency have been linked to the Comprehensibility and intelligibility of L2 speech, including stress (Field, 2005), speech rate (Munro & Derwing, 2001), pitch range and pausing (Kang, Rubin, & Pickering, 2010), and poor grammar and inappropriate lexical choice (Fayer & Krasinski, 1987). Many linguistic dimensions have also been associated with L2 accentedness, including segmental accuracy (Derwing, Munro, & Wiebe, 1998), articulation rate (Baker & Trofimovich, 2006), pitch range, stress, and pausing (Kang, 2010). Trofimovich and Isaacs (2012) investigated 19 linguistic measures grouped under the categories of phonology, fluency, lexis, grammar, and discourse in an attempt to distinguish the linguistic correlates of Comprehensibility and accentedness. …
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linguistic dimensions of l2 accentedness and Comprehensibility vary across speaking tasks
Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 2017Co-Authors: Dustin Crowther, Pavel Trofimovich, Kazuya Saito, Talia IsaacsAbstract:This study critically examined the previously reported partial independence between second language (L2) accentedness (degree to which L2 speech differs from the target variety) and Comprehensibility (ease of understanding). In prior work, Comprehensibility was linked to multiple linguistic dimensions of L2 speech (phonology, fluency, lexis, grammar) whereas accentedness was narrowly associated with L2 phonology. However, these findings stemmed from a single task (picture narrative), suggesting that task type could affect the particular linguistic measures distinguishing Comprehensibility from accentedness. To address this limitation, speech ratings of 10 native listeners assessing 60 speakers of L2 English in three tasks (picture narrative, IELTS, TOEFL) were analyzed, targeting two global ratings (accentedness, Comprehensibility) and 10 linguistic measures (segmental and word stress accuracy, intonation, rhythm, speech rate, grammatical accuracy and complexity, lexical richness and complexity, discourse richness). Linguistic distinctions between accentedness and Comprehensibility were less pronounced in the cognitively complex task (TOEFL), with overlapping sets of phonology, lexis, and grammar variables contributing to listener ratings of accentedness and Comprehensibility. This finding points to multifaceted, task-specific relationships between these two constructs.
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lexical correlates of Comprehensibility versus accentedness in second language speech
Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 2016Co-Authors: Kazuya Saito, Pavel Trofimovich, Stuart Webb, Talia IsaacsAbstract:The current project investigated the extent to which several lexical aspects of second language (L2) speech – appropriateness, fluency, variation, sophistication, abstractness, sense relations – interact to influence native speakers’ judgements of Comprehensibility (ease of understanding) and accentedness (linguistic nativelikeness). Extemporaneous speech elicited from 40 French speakers of English with varied L2 proficiency levels was first evaluated by 10 native-speaking raters for Comprehensibility and accentedness. Subsequently, the dataset was transcribed and analyzed for 12 lexical factors. Various lexical properties of L2 speech were found to be associated with L2 Comprehensibility, and especially lexical accuracy (lemma appropriateness) and complexity (polysemy), indicating that these lexical variables are associated with successful L2 communication. In contrast, native speakers’ accent judgements seemed to be linked to surface-level details of lexical content (abstractness) and form (variation, morphological accuracy) rather than to its conceptual and contextual details (e.g., lemma appropriateness, polysemy).
Kazuya Saito - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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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
Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 2019Co-Authors: Kazuya Saito, Mai Tran, Yui Suzukida, Hui Sun, Viktoria Magne, Meltem IlkanAbstract: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 highproficiency 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 lenient appeared to rely equally on many linguistic areas of speech during their judgements, the strict listeners were strongly attuned to phonological accuracy. Analysis of the background questionnaire data revealed that the 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).
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lexical aspects of Comprehensibility and nativeness from the perspective of native speaking english raters
ITL – International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 2019Co-Authors: Randy Appel, Pavel Trofimovich, Kazuya Saito, Talia Isaacs, Stuart WebbAbstract:This study analyzed the contribution of lexical factors to native-speaking raters’ assessments of Comprehensibility and nativeness in second language (L2) speech. Using transcribed samples to reduce non-lexical sources of bias, 10 naive L1 English raters evaluated speech samples from 97 L2 English learners across two tasks (picture description and TOEFL integrated). Subsequently, the 194 transcripts were analyzed through statistical software (e.g., Coh-metrix, VocabProfile) for 29 variables spanning various lexical dimensions. For the picture description task, separation in lexical correlates of the two constructs was found, with distinct lexical measures tied to Comprehensibility and nativeness. In the TOEFL integrated task, Comprehensibility and nativeness were largely indistinguishable, with identical sets of lexical variables, covering dimensions of diversity and range. Findings are discussed in relation to the acquisition, assessment, and teaching of lexical properties in L2 speech.
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linguistic correlates of Comprehensibility in second language japanese speech
Journal of Second Language Pronunciation, 2017Co-Authors: Kazuya Saito, Yuka AkiyamaAbstract:This study examined phonological, temporal, lexical and grammatical correlates of native speakers’ perception of second language (L2) Comprehensibility (i.e., ease of understanding). L2 learners of Japanese with various proficiency levels engaged in oral picture description tasks which were judged by native speaking raters for Comprehensibility, and then submitted to pronunciation, fluency, and lexicogrammar analyses. According to correlation analyses and linear mixed-models, the native speaking judges’ Comprehensibility ratings were significantly linked not only with actual usage of words in context (lexical appropriateness) but also with the surface details of words (pitch accent, speech rate, lexical variation). Similar to previous L2 English studies (e.g., Isaacs & Trofimovich, 2012), the influence of segmental and morphological errors in the Comprehensibility of L2 Japanese speech appeared to be minor.
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linguistic dimensions of l2 accentedness and Comprehensibility vary across speaking tasks
Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 2017Co-Authors: Dustin Crowther, Pavel Trofimovich, Kazuya Saito, Talia IsaacsAbstract:This study critically examined the previously reported partial independence between second language (L2) accentedness (degree to which L2 speech differs from the target variety) and Comprehensibility (ease of understanding). In prior work, Comprehensibility was linked to multiple linguistic dimensions of L2 speech (phonology, fluency, lexis, grammar) whereas accentedness was narrowly associated with L2 phonology. However, these findings stemmed from a single task (picture narrative), suggesting that task type could affect the particular linguistic measures distinguishing Comprehensibility from accentedness. To address this limitation, speech ratings of 10 native listeners assessing 60 speakers of L2 English in three tasks (picture narrative, IELTS, TOEFL) were analyzed, targeting two global ratings (accentedness, Comprehensibility) and 10 linguistic measures (segmental and word stress accuracy, intonation, rhythm, speech rate, grammatical accuracy and complexity, lexical richness and complexity, discourse richness). Linguistic distinctions between accentedness and Comprehensibility were less pronounced in the cognitively complex task (TOEFL), with overlapping sets of phonology, lexis, and grammar variables contributing to listener ratings of accentedness and Comprehensibility. This finding points to multifaceted, task-specific relationships between these two constructs.
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development of Comprehensibility and its linguistic correlates a longitudinal study of video mediated telecollaboration
The Modern Language Journal, 2016Co-Authors: Yuka Akiyama, Kazuya SaitoAbstract:This study examined whether 30 learners of Japanese in the United States who engaged in a semester-long video-based eTandem course made gains in global language Comprehensibility, that is, ease of understanding (Derwing & Munro, 2009), and what linguistic correlates contributed to these gains. Speech excerpts from Week 2 and 8 of tandem interactions were retrieved and later assessed subjectively and objectively for global Comprehensibility and its linguistic correlates (lexical appropriateness, lexical richness, speech rate, and morphological accuracy) in a pre/posttest sample design. The results revealed that, although the group made significant gains in vocabulary and some gains in grammar, improvement in overall Comprehensibility was subject to considerable individual variability. According to a follow-up cluster analysis and discriminant analysis, increase in speech rate was the strongest predictor of those individuals who improved Comprehensibility. The findings suggest that telecollaborative interaction may promote the development of vocabulary and, to some extent, grammar, but that significant gains in Comprehensibility come mostly from the fluency trait of speech rate and may require longer interactional intervention. The findings have implications for the design of telecollaboration that supports second language learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Bart Baesens - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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building comprehensible customer churn prediction models with advanced rule induction techniques
Expert Systems With Applications, 2011Co-Authors: Wouter Verbeke, David Martens, Christophe Mues, Bart BaesensAbstract:Customer churn prediction models aim to detect customers with a high propensity to attrite. Predictive accuracy, Comprehensibility, and justifiability are three key aspects of a churn prediction model. An accurate model permits to correctly target future churners in a retention marketing campaign, while a comprehensible and intuitive rule-set allows to identify the main drivers for customers to churn, and to develop an effective retention strategy in accordance with domain knowledge. This paper provides an extended overview of the literature on the use of data mining in customer churn prediction modeling. It is shown that only limited attention has been paid to the Comprehensibility and the intuitiveness of churn prediction models. Therefore, two novel data mining techniques are applied to churn prediction modeling, and benchmarked to traditional rule induction techniques such as C4.5 and RIPPER. Both AntMiner+ and ALBA are shown to induce accurate as well as comprehensible classification rule-sets. AntMiner+ is a high performing data mining technique based on the principles of Ant Colony Optimization that allows to include domain knowledge by imposing monotonicity constraints on the final rule-set. ALBA on the other hand combines the high predictive accuracy of a non-linear support vector machine model with the Comprehensibility of the rule-set format. The results of the benchmarking experiments show that ALBA improves learning of classification techniques, resulting in comprehensible models with increased performance. AntMiner+ results in accurate, comprehensible, but most importantly justifiable models, unlike the other modeling techniques included in this study.
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Performance of classification models from a user perspective
Decision Support Systems, 2011Co-Authors: David Martens, Jan Vanthienen, Wouter Verbeke, Bart BaesensAbstract:This paper proposes a complete framework to assess the overall performance of classification models from a user perspective in terms of accuracy, Comprehensibility, and justifiability. A review is provided of accuracy and Comprehensibility measures, and a novel metric is introduced that allows one to measure the justifiability of classification models. Furthermore, taxonomy of domain constraints is introduced, and an overview of the existing approaches to impose constraints and include domain knowledge in data mining techniques is presented. Finally, justifiability metric is applied to a credit scoring and customer churn prediction case.
Tracey M Derwing - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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foreign accent Comprehensibility and intelligibility redux
25 years of Intelligibility Comprehensibility and Accentedness, 2020Co-Authors: Murray J Munro, Tracey M DerwingAbstract:Abstract We revisit Munro and Derwing (1995a), providing retrospective commentary on our original methods and findings. Using what are now well-established assessment techniques, the study examined the interrelationships among accentedness, Comprehensibility, and intelligibility in the speech of second-language learners. The key finding was that the dimensions at issue are related, but partially independent. Of particular note was our observation that speech can be heavily accented but highly intelligible. To provide a fresh perspective on the original data we report a few new analyses, including more up-to-date statistical modeling. Throughout the original text we intersperse insights we have gained over the past 25 years. We conclude with retrospective interpretations, including thoughts on the relevance of the study to contemporary second language teaching and especially pronunciation instruction.
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the development of l2 oral language skills in two l1 groups a 7 year study
Language Learning, 2013Co-Authors: Tracey M Derwing, Murray J MunroAbstract:Researching the longitudinal development of second language (L2) learners is essential to understanding influences on their success. This 7-year study of oral skills in adult immigrant learners of English as a second language evaluated Comprehensibility, fluency, and accentedness in first-language (L1) Mandarin and Slavic language speakers. The primary data were judgments at three times from two sets of listeners: native monolingual speakers of English and highly proficient English L2 speakers. The Mandarin L1 speakers showed no change over time on any of the dimensions, while the Slavic language L1 speakers improved significantly in Comprehensibility and fluency. Improvement in accent was limited to the first 2 years in the Slavic language group. These outcomes appear to be due to the complex interplay of L1, age, the depth and breadth of learners’ conversations in English, and their willingness to communicate.
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accent intelligibility and Comprehensibility
Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 1997Co-Authors: Tracey M Derwing, Murray J MunroAbstract:This study was designed to extend previous research on the relationships among intelligibility, perceived Comprehensibility, and accentedness. Accent and Comprehensibility ratings and transcriptions of accented speech from Cantonese, Japanese, Polish, and Spanish intermediate ESL students were obtained from 26 native English listeners. The listeners were also asked to identify the first language backgrounds of the same talkers and to provide information on their familiarity with the four accents used in this study. When the results of this study were compared with the Munro and Derwing (1995, Language Learning, 45, 73–97) study of learners of high proficiency, speaker proficiency level did not appear to affect the quasi-independent relationships among intelligibility, perceived Comprehensibility, and accentedness; however, the relative contributions of grammatical and phonemic errors and goodness of prosody differed somewhat. Ability to identify the speakers' first languages was influenced by familiarity.
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processing time accent and Comprehensibility in the perception of native and foreign accented speech
Language and Speech, 1995Co-Authors: Murray J Munro, Tracey M DerwingAbstract:In this study, a sentence verification task was used to determine the effect of a foreign accent on sentence processing time. Twenty native English listeners heard a set of English true/false statements uttered by ten native speakers of English and ten native speakers of Mandarin. The listeners assessed the truth value of the statements, and assigned accent and Comprehensibility ratings. Response latency data indicated that the Mandarin-accented utterances required more time to evaluate than the utterances of the native English speakers. Furthermore, utterances that were assigned low Comprehensibility ratings tended to take longer to process than moderately or highly comprehensible utterances. However, there was no evidence that degree of accent was related to processing time. The results are discussed in terms of the “costs” of speaking with a foreign accent, and the relevance of such factors as accent and Comprehensibility to second language teaching.
