Development and Operation Result of Japanese Accent Perception Test Based on E-learning System

Main purpose of this study is to find and build a model of Japanese accent perception practice at Japanese lessons in regular classrooms and those based on utilization of network and multimedia. Until now, Japanese phonetic researchers and teachers had to spend a disproportionate amount of time and effort to conduct experiments or test, and to develop the means to process resulting data of the experiments conducted. With the proposed [AJ-phonetic Test] system, accent tests are conducted online. In this respect, Japanese learners can take part in the phonetics experiment in a time and location convenient to them. Also, researchers and teachers can work on the obtained data by using the database available. Moreover, AJ-phonetic test feedbacks provide not only test results but also a more comprehensive data analysis. Results of the 12-year operation of AJ-phonetic test in Korea proved to have a positive effect on students as well as teachers. This paper present general guidelines necessary to conduct the AJ-phonetic test. Firstly, in case of Korean learners of Japanese, a separate set of words accentless pitch and those with accent pitch is needed because the two sets present different difficulty levels for a learner. Secondly, as the number of moras in a word affects the difficulty, we introduced dummy words, which proved successful in controling the level of difficulty and increasing learning effect. Besides, dummy words worked well as a substitute for low tone (frequency) long words as well for long words in general. Thirdly, since there are only few cases with a distinctive long-short opposition in Korean, Korean learners of Japanese have difficulties recognizing accents in words with special moras. Such words therefore need special attention. Finally, the ability of Korean learners of Japanese to recognize accent in Japanese words differs based of the learners’ native dialects. Best results were obtained by learners from the Jeonla-do region, followed by those from Gyeongsang-do region, while learners from Seoul had most difficulties in recognizing the accent. From all the above findings we conclude that Japanese accent education is highly necessary, and that in the process of education, both Japanese accent characteristics as well as learners’ native dialects should be considered.

Speech-Language Pathologists' Perceptions of Nonnative Accent: A Pilot Study

Purpose Considering the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's (ASHA) global influence and continued emphasis on heightening multicultural receptivity, a major consideration for ASHA is to cultivate cultural sensitivity and competence in its largely female (95.30%), monolingual (93.46%), and White (92.10%) workforce. ASHA's 32-year transition from no formal multicultural education to mandatory multicultural education infusion provokes to enquire whether multicultural education in speech-language pathologists (SLPs) has modified SLPs' perceptions toward multicultural issues. In this article, we explored an aspect of such sensitivity. We want to know whether there exists a linear relationship between SLPs' age, as an index of their exposure to formal multicultural education, and SLPs' bias toward nonnative accent, as an index of their multicultural sensitivity. Method Two hundred sixty-eight SLP ASHA members completed a web-based pilot survey testing whether SLPs made biased associations based on personality traits, sociocultural factors, professional attire, and physical appearance of persons with nonnative accent and whether the SLPs thought they had an accent. Logistic regression tested whether age predicts explicit biased associations for these five outcomes. Results ASHA SLPs made biased associations with accent for all outcomes, but age only predicted the likelihood of explicit accent-based biases for physical appearance. The relationship was curvilinear, with 40- to 45-year-olds making the most biased associations and older SLPs making progressively fewer biased associations. Conclusion Clearly, the specific psychosocial attributes associated with perception of nonnative accent need to be explored from a dynamical systems perspective to discover potential variables that might directly or indirectly influence accent perception and potential biases.

British accent perceptions and attributions of guilt by native and non-native speakers

This paper uses the matched-guise technique to analyse the impact of accent perception in the context of suspect interrogation. Three native speakers of British English and one of Norwegian recorded a suspect’s statement in a version as close as possible to standard English as well as in their strongest accented pronunciation of English. These recordings were rated by native speakers of English (NSs) and German learners of English (non-native speakers, NNSs) regarding competence, social attractiveness, credibility/guilt and standardness. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of these ratings shows evidence for accented speakers being rated less competent, but more socially attractive and more likely to be guilty than their standard counterparts. Moreover, NNSs’ ratings were significantly higher for competence and guilt in the standard guises, as well as social attractiveness and guilt in the accent guises, while NSs twice as often reported pronunciation/accent having influenced their ratings. This study also found that specific regional stereotypes were less important compared to the perceived degree of standardness.

Can you tell by their English if they can speak Welsh? Accent perception in a language contact situation

Aims: The purpose of this research was to gain a better understanding of accent perception in language contact situations in which monolingual speakers of a contact variety and bilinguals live in the same community. Design: We investigated the English accents of monolinguals and bilinguals from the same area in South-West Wales, and listeners’ perceptions thereof, in three inter-related studies. Data: In Study 1, an accent perception experiment, participants from four different listener groups were asked to differentiate English monolinguals and Welsh–English bilinguals on the basis of short English speech samples. In Study 2, the same participants’ views about differences between the accentual features of monolinguals and bilinguals were examined in individual structured interviews. Finally, in Study 3, the speech samples from the accent perception experiment were analysed phonetically based on the accentual features mentioned in Study 2. Findings: Study 1 revealed that monolinguals and bilinguals can be identified above chance based on their English accent, but performance was unexceptional. Identification was better with greater accent familiarity, but unrelated to the listener’s ability to speak Welsh. Study 2 revealed the specific segmental and suprasegmental features that the listeners considered indicative of monolingual and bilingual speakers’ English accents, while Study 3 showed that only some of the listeners’ views are consistent with the production data from Study 1. Originality: This paper is the first to examine whether monolinguals and bilinguals from a bilingual area with historical language contact can be identified on the basis of their majority language accent, and on what grounds these identifications are made. Implications: This research shows that settings in which minority-language features originate from both historical language contact and individual bilingualism yield subtle accentual differences in the majority language between monolinguals and bilinguals to which even listeners from the same accent background may not be responsive.

Methodology in Accent Perception Studies: A Review

Research in the field of Language Attitudes and Social Perceptions have proven associations between a speaker’s accent, and listener’s perceptions of various aspects of their identity – intelligence, socio-economic background, race, region of origin, friendliness, etc. This paper seeks to critically analyze the methodology and theories in the field of accent perception through a review of existing research literature across various disciplines that have studied it. After reviewing Social Identity Theory, Prototype theory, and theories regarding Ethnolinguistic identity, it points out various knowledge gaps and limitations of methodologies previously used. It then studies the implications for future research, in various domains, proposing a new theoretical paradigm using mixed methods studies.

Stretching the boundaries

Nowadays, international communication using English as the medium is a common occurrence. To communicate effectively, English as a second language (ESL) speakers need to possess relevant communicative skills including understanding and being familiar with inner circle accents. This paper seeks to find out ESL learners’ evaluative reactions to four inner circle accents, representing British, American, Australian and New Zealand English varieties, through an accent perception and a survey task conducted on Malaysian undergraduates at a public university in Malaysia. The participants responded to descriptors on speaker attributes categorized into three dimensions: competence, social appeal and accent preference while or after listening to a recorded passage read in one of the four accents by male and female speakers. The learners showed a tendency to prefer certain accents more than others. In general, the best rated accent was the British accent for the male speakers and the American accent for the female speakers. The New Zealand accent was rated the lowest among the male speakers and one of the lowest among the female speakers. The study also found that speaker’s competence, speaker’s social appeal and accent preference were positively correlated. These findings highlight the importance of listening practices and exposure to various English accents in ESL classrooms to prepare students for international and intercultural communication.

Delayed processing in accented speech: Evidence from a mouse-tracking experiment

Previous work shows that listeners use the phonetic signal to predict upcoming information, including adaptation to accent-specific phonological structures. This study assesses whether this response is optimal by studying the time course and specificity of adaptation as native French listeners are presented with English-accented French samples in a cross-modal two-alternative forced choice task. There were four types of trials, depending on whether the spoken target word contained a sound replaced in English-accented speech with a different phoneme; and whether this pronunciation rendered the choice temporarily ambiguous or not. If listeners follow an optimal strategy, one predicts an interaction between both terms, with slower responses for words with replaced phonemes only when the replacement rendered the target temporarily ambiguous. Instead, we found main effects of both factors. Thus, it appears that adult listeners did not adopt the strategy that would have been informationally optimal. This result could be due to prior experience with the accent employed, and specific difficulties with replaced phonemes, despite knowledge of the accent. We discuss results in the broader context of accent perception research, bearing on the (speaker- and contrast-)specificity of listener adaptation as well as the variability in results potentially due to the task, accent, and materials employed.