International Intelligibility Research Articles

International intelligibility of English spoken by college students in the Bashu dialect area of China

Exploring English intelligibility in linguistically diverse environments, such as China, is crucial for improving cross-cultural dialog and tailoring language instruction to address the phonetic hurdles of non-native speakers. This research employed a phonetic experimental methodology to assess the intelligibility of English spoken by college students from the Bashu dialect region of Southwest China to an international audience. Data from 40 intermediate English-proficient students in Sichuan and Chongqing were analyzed using open-ended questionnaires and evaluative scales. The findings revealed that the influence of the Bashu dialect significantly impeded the accurate articulation of specific English phonemes, thereby exerting an impact on the international intelligibility of their spoken English. Notably, notwithstanding their conspicuous accents, the research concluded that the English enunciated by these students generally retained intelligibility for global audiences. The study identified a spectrum of pronunciation challenges, encompassing issues with phonetic sounds, recurrent mispronunciations, and variances in accent and prosody, collectively contributing to an overarching influence on intelligibility. Grounded in international listener feedback, this study proffers strategies to augment the intelligibility of spoken English among Chinese learners originating from dialect-specific regions, thereby fostering the amelioration of their communicative skills and bolstering their confidence when engaging with global audiences.

Who do learners of English as a lingua franca want to sound like? English speaker role models and envisioned selves in imagined communities

AbstractTo examine speaker role models (SRMs) in second language acquisition (SLA), this study explored the sociolinguistic English as a lingua franca (ELF) perspective targeting international intelligibility. Thus, it examined the way ELF learners align with self‐selected English speakers and anonymous (audio‐recorded) English speakers as potential SRMs. The researchers asked the participants, 57 Iranian English majors, “Who do you want to sound like in English and why?” and analyzed their answers in the context of their SRMs and envisioned selves in imagined communities (ICs). The study's findings revealed that most participants had SRMs with three sets of characteristics—high English language proficiency and intelligibility, likeable personal attributes, and notable professional accomplishments. To explore anonymous English speakers in particular as potential SRMs, the researchers asked participants to rate anonymous speakers' intelligibility and likeability. The findings established that, based on the sound of their voices alone, anonymous audiorecorded speakers were less likely to be selected as SRMs. Further, the study found no significant difference between anonymous native and nonnative speakers, celebrities and others, for whom accent intelligibility and likeability increased but did not determine the likelihood of selecting them as their SRMs. Based on its findings, this study draws implications for language and teacher education and offers classroom applications with specific activities.

Speech intelligibility of the diastratic varieties of Philippine English

The rise of English globalization has prompted speech production variations that reveal the cultural and social backgrounds of the different speakers. However, intelligibility issues of the different varieties have also become a concern. Thus, the present study attempted to assess the intelligibility of Philippine English (PE) diastratic varieties’ speech recordings produced by local Cebuano speakers. Further, it aimed to specifically evaluate the speakers’ production differences, rate the intelligibility of the language varieties, and determine the effect of language variety on the listener-evaluators in terms of intelligibility and distraction ratings. Using an exploratory sequential mixed method design, the speech participants in this study were carefully chosen through multistage sampling first by social class and then by phonological variations. The three final sample speakers out of the initial eighteen were finally categorized as acrolect, mesolect, and basilect. The evaluating groups included English language users from the USA, the Philippines, Korea, and Thailand, and each group represented a region in Kachru’s concentric circle of the World Englishes model. The results identified acrolect as the most intelligible variety followed by mesolect. Basilect, on the other hand, was considered very distracting to the evaluator groups, resulting in a significantly low intelligibility score. Thai evaluators gave the lowest intelligibility ratings, which may be attributed to two factors, L1 interference and unfamiliarity of L2 variation. Finally, future directions and implications in the classroom and industry are stated to create a sense of cultural awareness and to promote a deeper intercultural understanding that comes with international intelligibility.

Technology-enhanced approximation to Standard English stress shift

International intelligibility among World Englishes is indisputably pertinent. Second language contexts, such as Nigeria, often adopt the Received Pronunciation (RP) to achieve intelligibility and serve as the pedagogical and descriptive basis of the language (Carr & Honeybone, 2007). However, studies on spoken Nigerian English (NE) have established that RP is unattainable by Nigerians, English language teachers inclusive (Akinjobi & Aina, 2014; Aina, 2014; Adesanya, 2020a; Agboyinu, 2018; Aiyeola, 2021). Search for an ancillary model of Standard English pronunciation in Nigeria, therefore, becomes a necessity.

Co-text, context, and listening proficiency as crucial variables in intelligibility among nonnative users of English

AbstractResearch on intelligibility in international encounters has long focused on issues of pronunciation to the detriment of factors such as linguistic co-text and extralinguistic context, which are comparatively well-studied variables in intelligibility research concerning L1 listeners. This paper seeks to expand the scope of international intelligibility research in this respect by reporting on a large-scale study involving 423 nonnative listeners at different proficiency levels, who transcribed words spoken with another nonnative accent under four conditions that varied in the availability of syntactic, semantic, and schematic cues. The results suggest that co-text and context as well as listening proficiency are crucial variables that ought to receive greater attention in research on international intelligibility. The pedagogical implications of these findings are addressed as well.

How Students Perceive the Learning of English as an International Language: A Theoretical and Practical Approach

English is no longer the language belonging to about 375 million native English speakers. It is also an international language spoken by more than a billion of second and foreign language users. The models used to teach English as a second or foreign language have traditionally been mainly native speaker models. However, in the last few years, a large number of researchers have suggested integrating a model of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) into the English classroom because it has several benefits for international communication, since international intelligibility is now the main goal. In this work, a research study has been carried out to analyze how Spanish students of English (B2 level) value some of the main tenets of the ELF model, such as the importance of confidence, intelligibility and the dichotomy native vs. non-native accent while speaking the foreign language.

Testing the Lingua Franca Core: The intelligibility of flaps

Over twenty years ago, Jenkins (2000) put forth the Lingua Franca Core (LFC), a pronunciation syllabus for international intelligibility among non-native speakers (NNSs) of English. Although insufficient empirical research has been directed to validating the LFC proposals, the few studies that have tested this syllabus have produced mixed findings. One of the core features of the LFC is the use of British-based /t/, rather than General American (GA) flap [ɾ], which allegedly has a negative impact on English as lingua franca (ELF) intelligibility. There are, however, three additional types of flap in accents such as GA. In the current study, the intelligibility of the four types of flap typical of GA were tested experimentally, in the context of learners at an intermediate level with four European language backgrounds ( n = 78). Using a matched-guise technique, learners were presented with the flapped and non-flapped versions of words including the four types of flap. The results of two experiments indicate that three of the four types of flap proved detrimental for ELF intelligibility to a large extent. More expectedly, word frequency and experience with GA were moderately associated with flap intelligibility.

English as a Lingua Franca from an applied linguistics perspective: In the context of Japan

For the past two decades, the concept of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) has been a topic of much debate among researchers in the global use of English, including those involved in English language teaching (ELT). While in many respects ELF may be viewed just as a new name for its predecessors, such as World Englishes (WE) and English as an International Language (EIL), in other ways it also provides some fresh perspectives for the function of global Englishes. In particular, having grown chiefly out of Europe, where English has traditionally been studied as a foreign language rather than a second language, the ELF paradigm is often suited for the needs of learners of English in the Expanding Circle. With Japan as a primary example, the present paper discusses the significance of the concept of ELF and of the studies within its framework for ELT in the Expanding Circle. An important argument of this article is that studies in the early days of ELF, seeking for elements to facilitate international intelligibility, are still highly useful for ELT in the Expanding Circle. They cater especially to ELT in the Asian Expanding Circle, where pedagogical models are of crucial importance, no less than current ELF studies focusing on the fluid and translingual nature of ELF do. This paper points to the need for ELT teachers to be eclectic and integrative, learning from multiple paradigms, including ELF, WE, and EIL, while even going beyond the newness and oldness of pedagogical approaches, in order to best serve their students.

International intelligibility revisited

Abstract The Lingua Franca Core (LFC) proposes that NURSE is the only vowel quality important for international intelligibility, yet research findings regarding this issue are mixed. Moreover, it is unclear whether phonetic (rather than phonemic) substitutions of NURSE also affect international intelligibility more negatively than other phonemic vowel substitutions, though this seems unlikely on the basis of considerations of functional load (FL). This study compares the international intelligibility of two vowel substitutions typical of Austrian learners of English: the phonetic replacement of NURSE with a rounded and diphthongized vowel, and the phonemic replacement of TRAP with a vowel close to cardinal [e]. The findings suggest that, contrary to the LFC but in line with FL considerations, the phonetic substitution of NURSE is more intelligible to an international audience than the substitution of TRAP with [e]. However, differences in intelligibility between the two substitutions were largely ‘neutralized’ once contextual support was available.

International intelligibility of Nigerian English: The Vowel Length Factor

The study examines the phonological intelligibility of Nigerian speakers of English. Specifically, it investigates the extent to which the length of vowels in the speech of Nigerian Speakers of English affects their intelligibility to speakers from different contexts. 100 evaluators, (international listeners made up of non-Nigerian speakers) transcribed six speech samples from six audio podcasts in which Nigerian speakers delivered speeches. The transcription of the different speech samples served to assess intelligibility at pronunciation level. Results revealed that the length of vowels is critical for maintaining intelligibility in international contexts.

A Lexico-syntactic Analysis of Usages in Nigerian English: A Validation of its culturally Determined Context of Situation

This study aimed at validating Nigerian English as a language borne out of the culturally determined context of the situation of the Nigerian English speaker. It also aimed at analysing sentences from Nigerian English using Transformational Generative Grammar (TGG) to validate its grammaticality and syntax. The purpose was to validate Nigerian English as a variety of the English Language. This present study proposed that it was high time we stopped looking at Nigerian English as a deviation from the English Language and an error on the part of its speakers. In the article, we selected some Nigerian English expressions and analysed them using Transformational Generative Grammar rules to justify them to be grammatically and syntactically correct, and mutually intelligible. It was agreed that the issue of international intelligibility should not be the ground for judging if a language is incorrect. In the course of the study, it was discovered that Nigerian English is a variety of the English Language like Australian English, Canadian English, etc. which are also part of the world's new Englishes born out of the cultural experience of the people and their attempt to express in clear terms their experiences. Based on our findings, we concluded that Nigerian English possesses all the properties a language should possess and should no longer be regarded as a deviation.

Ladinakeelsed nimed taasiseseisvunud Eestis: Tartu Ülikooli ja Tallinna Ülikooli õppehoonete näide

Kunagine Euroopa ulikoolide lingua franca ehk ladina keel on nuudseks minetanud oma tahtsuse oppetoo keelena. Vanemates ulikoolides naeb tavaliselt siin-seal kunagise olulisima teaduskeele mojutusi – hooned, ruumid, monumendid ja muud objektid on sailitanud oma ajaloolised ladinakeelsed nimed. Ent ladinakeelseid nimesid, pealkirju ja motosid ei polga ara ka uuemad korgkoolid. Pohjusi selle keele eelistamiseks on ilmselt mitmeid. Ladinakeelsed nimed kolavad kaunilt ja soliidselt ning on rahvusvaheliselt arusaadavad. Ladina keel annab nimedele objektiivsuse mootme, sest eelistatud ei ole uhtegi tanapaeval koneldavat keelt. Artikkel heidab ladina keele tanapaevase kasutamise taustal valgust teemale, millistes valdkondades ja mis asjaoludel on Eesti taasiseseisvumise ajal kasutusele voetud ladinakeelseid nimesid. Rohuasetus on Tartu Ulikooli ja Tallinna Ulikooli oppehoonete nimedel. Tartu Ulikoolil on ette naidata pikk ajalugu, mille kestel on ladina keelt kasutatud. Enamik praegu kasutusel olevatest ladinakeelsetest nimedest on siiski parit kas 20. voi 21. sajandist. Tartu Ulikooli oppehooned saavad endale nimed konkursside tulemusel, kus pakutakse alati valja ka ladinakeelseid nimesid, kuid mitte alati ei osutu need voitjaiks. Tallinna Ulikooli suhe ladina keelega on TU-ga vorreldes norgem. Ent oppehoonete ja ruumide nimetamisel on sealgi selle keele poole poordutud. Nimede andmise pohimotted TLU-s erinevad selgelt TU omadest. *** Latin names in re-independent Estonia: Example of the names of buildings at the University of Tartu and the Tallinn University Although the knowledge and use of Latin have diminished during the last centuries in Estonia as well as elsewhere in the world, Latin names are still popular. In Estonia several enterprises, choirs, book series and periodicals have got a Latin name during the period since the country regained its independence or shortly before that. The present article deals mainly with the Latin names of buildings at the University of Tartu and Tallinn University. Most of these names originate from the 21st century and at both universities there are 6 buildings with Latin names. At the University of Tartu the example for Latin name forms of buildings are drawn from the 19th-century Theatrum anatomicum . Therefore these names are derived from neuter adjectives with the ending - um . The Latin names of the buildings at the University of Tartu accordingly are: Iuridicum , Biomeedikum ( Biomedicum ), Oeconomicum , Chemicum , Philosophicum and Physicum . The names are densely connected with the function of the buildings and the disciplines practised inside them. Latin names which did not reflect the buildings’ function very clearly, have been rejected. There have been several discussions at the University of Tartu in order to find a proper name for a new building of the university. At Tallinn University the Latin names of buildings are the following: Astra , Mare , Nova , Silva , Terra and Ursa . The interpretation of these names can be found on the website of the university. However, the meaning of the names does not correspond to the function of the buildings. In order to get an idea about the reception of the Latin names of buildings at Tallinn University, 39 master students of humanities at Tallinn University were asked to fill out a questionnaire about the meaning of these names. The results of the questionnaire revealed that the master students of humanities were very well aware of the meaning of the names Mare , Nova and Terra , whereas less than 50% of the students knew the meaning of the names Astra , Silva and Ursa . The conclusions of the article are that Latin names are often used in Estonia at the universities as well as elsewhere for prestige, international intelligibility, attractiveness, reliability, as well as in order to grant a name neutrality, when no modern language is preferred. But in the case of the universities one can also draw a conclusion that the use of Latin names probably sets a requirement for proper courses and knowledge of Latin as well.

International Intelligibility for Cross-cultural Communication Implications for Teaching English as a Foreign Language in Japan and China

International Intelligibility for Cross-cultural Communication Implications for Teaching English as a Foreign Language in Japan and China

Acoustic Manifestation of English Lexical Stress Pattern by Native Erei Speakers

Lexical stress is the combination of intensity, fundamental frequency and vowel quality acoustically. Like many other non-segmental features of English, it is very vital for intelligibility, foreign accentedness and comprehensibility since wrong placement of primary and/or secondary stress in English words might lead to different interpretations. The feature is not observable in Erei, which is a tonal language, where all the syllables or vowels in a word are given strong form. Erei language is different from free variable stress system of English, and the difference between the two languages may likely result in the transfer of Erei tonal system in the articulation of English lexical stress by native Erei speakers. The study examined the deployment of English lexical stress in the speech outputs of Erei-English bilingual speakers in Biase Local Government Area of Cross River State Nigeria. Eight subjects were selected from four secondary schools. Eight words, selected from Cruttenden’s Gimson’s pronunciation of English, were used for the analysis. The metrical theory, developed by Lieberman (1975), was adopted as the framework for the analysis. Findings indicated that Erei-English bilinguals place stress on the wrong syllables as shown in the native British speaker’s output, and therefore, do not observe English rhythmic alternation rules. All the syllables in a word are almost given equal prominence, a rehash of the tonal nature of Erei, affecting the intelligibility of their spoken English. Based on the findings, the study suggested the availability of well-equipped language laboratories, provision of sophisticated audio-visual aids and computerised speech equipment in Nigeria as well as language teachers in L2 situations should focus instruction on non-segmental features before the individual segments to promote international intelligibility in the speech outputs of L2 users.

Analysis of the Spoken English Used by Teachers in Kenyan Primary School Classrooms: Phonological and Grammatical Variations

The research reported in this paper identifies and describes phonological and grammatical variations in the English spoken by teachers at Kenyan primary school level, correlates the variations observed with the teachers’ amount of education completed in the English language and discusses pedagogical implications of the emergent patterns. First, the results indicate that the teacher’s spoken English varies from the British standard variety - the model of correctness at all the education tiers in Kenya - and second, that the amount of education a speaker has completed in the English language significantly influences language variability. The findings imply that if more primary school teachers were to receive further exposure to English grammar and phonology through the continuing education programs available in Kenyan universities, their spoken English would then vary less from the standard English and international mutual intelligibility would be improved.

How Thai businesses utilize English in their product names

This paper investigated the names given to Thai local community products and provides a description of the use of the English language in naming products in Thailand. The business names of Thai local products under the program One Tambon One Product (OTOP) were selected for analysis, focusing on language characteristics and semantic appropriateness by using onomastics to some extent. The data consisted of 1,304 names from five product categories—food, drinks, clothing and accessories, handicrafts and ornaments, and inedible herbs, as provided in the database of tambons and OTOP products. Thai product names in English, some of which only Thais can understand, show language creativity, reflecting Thai identity within English usage in the local setting. One problematic area concerns the lack of semantic appropriateness of some English names, as the names are sometimes not relevant to the product type. Thai entrepreneurs need support in naming their products to achieve international intelligibility if their products are to be marketed to international customers.

Transnational Pride, Global Closets and Regional Formations of Screen Activism: Documentary LGBTQ Narratives from Turkey

This study explores three documentary projects from Turkey, namely Proudly Trans in Turkey (by Gabrielle Le Roux, 2012), My Child (by Can Candan, 2013), and Trans X Istanbul (by Maria Binder, 2014). Attempting to make visible various spaces and formations of LGBTQ activism in Turkey, these collaborative projects can be considered as practices of screen activism that critically reflect on their own circulation, spectatorial address, ethnographic accent, and documentary aesthetic. Attempting to contest modes of the transnational gaze which reifies the saviour discourses of the Gay International and its globalised imperatives of liberation and pride, this discussion examines the extent to which the regional complexities of intersectional LGBTQ activism are compromised by the investment in these activist subjects’ global humanitarian value and international intelligibility. Questioning the ways in which these documentaries tackle their spectatorial address as well as the global and local complexities of sexual politics, this study aims to demonstrate how various forms/styles of documentary could contest, negotiate, and re-invent a transnational gaze that critically engages with the ethnographic constructions of sexuality, community, identity, and nation.

A Comparative Psycho-Sociolinguistic Overview of The Phonemic Realizations of The Letter <Ee> in (Nigerian) English As A Second Language (ESL) and Received Pronunciation (RP)

This paper examines the articulation of the letter <Ee> in Educated Nigerian English (ENE) against the psycho-sociolinguistic background of English as a Second Language (ESL), the concepts of interference and intraference. Examples were gathered from 2005 to 2013 through unstructured interviews, participant and non-participant observation, and the recording of spontaneous speech. Methods of data analysis are qualitative and quantitative. The ordinal data are presented in percentile and frequency tables and charts and the linguistic texts are described and explained. The study established that as a result of intraference, educated Nigerians mix up the various RP realizations of the letter <e>. As the articulations examined here are institutionalized in ENE and as they have both national and international intelligibility, it is proposed that they be treated as variations that typify ESL varieties.

A Comparative Psycho-Sociolinguistic Overview of The Phonemic Realizations of The Letter <Ee> in (Nigerian) English As A Second Language (ESL) and Received Pronunciation (RP)

This paper examines the articulation of the letter <Ee> in Educated Nigerian English (ENE) against the psycho-sociolinguistic background of English as a Second Language (ESL), the concepts of interference and intraference. Examples were gathered from 2005 to 2013 through unstructured interviews, participant and non-participant observation, and the recording of spontaneous speech. Methods of data analysis are qualitative and quantitative. The ordinal data are presented in percentile and frequency tables and charts and the linguistic texts are described and explained. The study established that as a result of intraference, educated Nigerians mix up the various RP realizations of the letter <e>. As the articulations examined here are institutionalized in ENE and as they have both national and international intelligibility, it is proposed that they be treated as variations that typify ESL varieties.

Literature and language: identity in African literature through new Englishes

There are strident voices against the continued use of English as an inter-group language in Nigeria and other African nations where the language serves as a second or foreign language, on the ground that the language is an alien language. The criticisms are more caustic in literary creations. To the cynics it is a misnomer to refer as ‘African’, a literary work whose medium of expression is English (a foreign language). The antagonists postulate that using English as the medium of African literary expression amounts to linguistic imperialism. They argue that for any literary work to be truly “African”, it has to be written in an African indigenous language. This paper has a contrary view. The paper is of the view that African literature has identity. It is distinct specie of literature ranking with European, Asian, American and other world literatures. This view is borne out of two reasons. One is that African literature has its origin in traditional African orature whose identity is not in doubt. Second, the ability of African creative writers to adapt and blend English to African environment – their ingenious, pragmatic, innovative, skilful and imaginative use of English – gives unique identity to African literature. The paper argues further that since the African language that commands universal intelligibility and acceptability in the continent and beyond is yet unborn, and since African writers can clearly express their thoughts in customized English without losing international intelligibility and acceptability, the language, for now and in the infinite future, remains the only variable medium of expression for African literature.