L2 prosody effects on pronunciation teaching and oral communication: updated

Abstract

Pronunciation accuracy in a foreign language requires mastering production of both segmental (consonants and vowels) and prosody (features that operate from the syllable domain, such as lexical/phrasal stress, pitch accent, rhythm, intonation, and voice quality) of speech. This study aims to elucidate the significance of instruction in pronunciation, with a focus on L2 prosody as a pivotal component in the enhancement of oral communication skills. The objective is to reduce pronunciation discrepancies and augment conversational interactions in spoken communication. The theoretical review of our research is based on studies such as, Munro and Derwing (2020 [1999]) Derwing and Munro (2015), Levis (2018), which underscore the role of prosody in the context of pronunciation instruction and in L2 oral communication. We also have supported in studies such as, Ortega-Lebaria et al. (2023), Silva Jr. (2023), for the selection of techniques and guidelines for extracting both durational and melodic parameters from L2 prosody-focused research. Regarding the methodology, we gathered data from Brazilian English speakers and native speakers of English from the USA. Each participant read a passage, from which we selected ten utterances for subsequent analysis. The acoustic analysis was conducted based on the duration of phonetic syllables (V-V units) and the fundamental frequency (F0), both normalized using Lobanov’s z-score. We also employed ANOVA statistical tests to examine the group effect for both duration and F0 parameters. Our findings indicate notable differences between native and Brazilian English speakers’ productions for both duration and F0. We conclude, even on a preliminary basis, that the application of L2 prosody is relevant in improving pronunciation instruction and enhancing oral communication.