Is It Because of My Language Background? A Study of Language Background Influence on Comprehensibility Judgments

Autor/inn/en	Foote, Jennifer A.; Trofimovich, Pavel
Titel	Is It Because of My Language Background? A Study of Language Background Influence on Comprehensibility Judgments
Quelle	In: Canadian Modern Language Review, 74 (2018) 2, S.253-278 (26 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0008-4506
Schlagwörter	Native Language; Language Proficiency; Comprehension; Second Languages; Interpersonal Communication; Non English Speaking; Mandarin Chinese; French; Indo European Languages; Pronunciation; Suprasegmentals; Dialects; Intonation; Articulation (Speech) + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Language skill; Language skills; Sprachkompetenz; Verstehen; Verständnis; Second language; Zweitsprache; Interpersonale Kommunikation; Französisch; Indoeuropäisch; Aussprache; Dialect; Dialekt
Abstract	This study examines the role of listeners' native language (L1) background in judgments of comprehensibility (ease of understanding) for speakers from same and different L1 backgrounds, to determine the extent of a shared second language (L2) comprehensibility benefit. Forty L2 English speakers from Mandarin, French, Hindi, and English backgrounds (10 per group) listened to speech samples from 30 L2 English speakers from Mandarin, French, and Hindi backgrounds (10 per group). Listeners first evaluated each speaker's comprehensibility and provided verbal reports indicating their reasons for each rating. To estimate pronunciation influences on comprehensibility, listeners then rated each speaker for four speech measures (segmental and word stress errors, intonation, speech rate). Results revealed that different speech measures were associated with comprehensibility ratings for different listener-speaker groups, and that a match in L1 background accounted for additional unique variance in comprehensibility ratings, but only for the Mandarin listeners and speakers. Verbal reports indicated that listeners more often considered L1 a benefit when rating speakers from their own L1 and a detriment when evaluating speakers from a different L1. Findings overall point to small effects of shared L1 background on comprehensibility, suggesting alternative priorities for teaching and researching comprehensible L2 speech. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	University of Toronto Press. 5201 Dufferin Street, Toronto, ON M3H 5T8, Canada. Tel: 416-667-7810; Fax: 800-221-9985; Fax: 416-667-7881; e-mail: journals@utpress.utoronco.ca; Web site: http://www.utpjournals.press/loi/cmlr
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01