Pronouncing English clusters may be challenging for Arab English learners. Technology-based strategies can be used to improve their pronunciation of English consonant clusters. This study examined how high variability phonetic training (HVPT) can be used to improve the pronunciation of consonant clusters among English as a foreign language (EFL)…

Analysis of a corpus of errors in pronouncing Proper Nouns used in English collected from the spontaneous speech of a sample of Arab informants showed that Arabic speakers have the following problems: (i) mispronouncing English vowels in "Google," "Moodle," "Uber," "Nixon," "London;" (ii) replacing…

The study was conducted to investigate the effects of video-based shadowing on pre-intermediate EFL learners' pronunciation performance of suprasegmental features as well as explore their attitudes toward the technique. The study employed three instruments including pre-and post-tests, a questionnaire, and semi-structured interviews, to…

This study examined the pedagogical use of Google Translate (GT) and its associated text-to-speech synthesis (TTS) and automatic speech recognition (ASR) as tools to assist in the learning of second/foreign language Dutch vocabulary and pronunciation in an autonomous, self-directed learning setting. Thirty participants used GT (its translation,…

Prior research indicates that first language (L1) orthography can adversely affect second language (L2) phonological acquisition, yet studies on orthographic interference and pedagogical strategies to mitigate these effects remain sparse. Addressing these research gaps, this study investigates the impact of orthographic interference on L2 German…

The era of globalization and information and knowledge in which we find ourselves requires Higher Education to develop English-speaking proficiency in its students to adequately respond to academic and occupational challenges, taking advantage of the virtues of the variety of resources offered by technology. YouGlish is an online oral dictionary…

This study explores ESL learners' perceptions of using high-variability phonetic training (HVPT) through YouGlish to improve pronunciation skills. Data were collected through an online questionnaire completed by 70 upper-intermediate level ESL learners and semistructured interviews with 20 learners. The collected data were analyzed statistically…

Purpose: This paper describes a study carried out within an ICLHE training programme in a Northern Italian university. The paper discusses the way an increased awareness of multimodal resources and the ability to deploy them effectively during lectures could offset language deficits of lecturers and enhance overall communicative competence and…

Despite many studies about video feedback in both face-to-face and online settings, little research has been carried out exploring how this technique is perceived by students learning the pronunciation of specific sounds in a foreign language. Adopting grounded theory as the methodology and a dialogic approach as the conceptual framework, the…

It has been shown in the past that International Teaching Assistants (ITAs) struggle with phonological and communication issues in the classroom (Pickering, 1999; 2001). This issue leads to misunderstandings between ITAs and undergraduate students, frustrating them both as well as the parents of the students and the departments. However, studies…

Technological advancements have not only introduced new tools for language education but also tailored apps and resources for specific language skills. These include mobile apps (e.g., "Drops: Language Learning Games" for vocabulary), websites (e.g., "SpanishDict" for Spanish dictionary and grammar), and reference tools (e.g.,…

Background: The utilisation of video-dubbing tasks, wherein learners record their voices over video clips to practise pronunciation, fluency, grammatical accuracy, and vocabulary use, is relatively novel in the English language learning context. Exploring the effectiveness of video-dubbing tasks can lead to more innovative and effective speaking…

Repeated viewing of the same video is a common strategy among autonomous language learners as well as a much used pedagogical strategy among foreign language (FL) teachers. Learners may watch the same video more than once, to increase global comprehension of the target language or to focus their attention on linguistic aspects, such as new…

There are two broad approaches to the research and teaching of second-language (L2) pronunciation--'bottom-up' and 'top-down'--which roughly align with structural and communicative approaches to language teaching. A bottom-up approach, explicitly focusing on de-contextualised linguistic forms, is structuralist and predominated in the second half…

Many EFL students have limited opportunities to listen to native speakers, practice English out of class, have problems in listening comprehension, oral expression and lack oral fluency. This article proposes using YouTube videos to improve EFL students' pronunciation. It aims to show the following: (i) How YouTube videos can be integrated in EFL…