This article aims to analyze whether formal instruction influences Brazilian speakers' perception of the English high back vowels contrast. There have been a few L2 pieces of research that focused on the instruction of specific vowel contrasts. Previous studies indicate that a single L1 category seems to be a source of difficulty to L2 vowel…

"Language Teacher Identity" presents a groundbreaking critical examination of how ideologies of race, ethnicity, accent, and immigration status impact perceptions of plurilingual teachers. Bringing together contributions by an international panel of established and emerging scholars, this important work of scholarship addresses issues…

Text-To-Speech synthesizers (TTS) have raised the interest of researchers and teachers for their ability to enhance foreign/second language (L2) learning, particularly with regards to the development of pronunciation skills (Liakin, Cardoso, & Liakina, 2017). Despite some optimistic results, there are no studies that investigate TTS's…

The current study compared five free Text-To-Speech (TTS) systems, selected based on characteristics such as availability and capabilities. Tasks were completed by 37 English learners to evaluate these systems in terms of their comprehensibility, naturalness, and intelligibility. Our findings indicate that IBM Watson and Google Translate are the…

Using Swain's (1985) output hypothesis as a basis, this article investigated the effect an immediate repeated oral task had on the performance of participants. Two groups of beginner learners of English as an additional language in Brazil performed a decision-making oral task in groups. Drawing from Lynch and MacLean's (2001) carousel task, the…

Although the development of second language (L2) oral fluency has been widely investigated over the past several decades, there remains a paucity of research examining language instruction specifically aimed at improving this cognitive skill. In this study, the researchers investigate how instructional techniques adapted from drama can positively…

Interest in pronunciation learning and teaching has increased significantly in the past few years. Studies and resources in the area have proliferated, but it is important to know whether they have influenced teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) and English as a second language (ESL). The purpose of this study was to investigate the…

For Chinese as a second language (L2 Chinese), there has been little research into "distinguishing features" (Fulcher, 1996; Iwashita et al., 2008) used in scoring L2 Chinese speaking performance. The study reported here investigates the relationship between the distinguishing features of L2 Chinese spoken performances and the scores…

Within a variationist approach for data collection and analysis, this study investigates the acquisition in perception of post-vocalic word-final stops (codas) by speakers of Brazilian Portuguese learning English as a foreign language in a classroom environment. Because codas are illicit in this variety of Portuguese, the hypothesis holds that…

This review article evaluates the intersection of the content of two recent anthologies in second language (L2) phonology. One of the books lays out both the methodological context and theoretical underpinnings of the field, whereas the other volume reports 11 empirical studies on the L2 acquisition of several aspects of pronunciation by adult…

Millions of students seek short- and long-term study abroad options every year, and this trend is a key illustration of the internationalization of higher education. Because a global perspective has become mandatory in the largely globalized workforce, many institutions look to study abroad programs to prepare their students. This outbound…

Portuguese as spoken in Brazil differs slightly in pronunciation and vocabulary from that used in Portugal. Words chosen for this language guide will be understood in either country. The guide is not intended to give a complete command of the language, but to enable a traveller to ask directions, make purchases or order a meal. Records that…

This study investigated the role of pronunciation instruction in the acquisition of English word-final consonants by Brazilian students studying English at a Brazilian university. Students participated in either experimental or control groups. Material used for instruction was intended to be appropriate for teaching pronunciation of word-final…

An analysis of Brazilian learners' errors in English word stress revealed a difficulty hierarchy of stress pattern rules and six stress prediction strategies: (1) cognate stress patterns; (2) predominant stress patterns of English; (3) initial vowels and consonants; (4) verbs with a tense vowel in the final syllable; (5) tertiary stress; and (6)…

This paper discusses the details of existential sentences constructed with the Portuguese verbs "ter" and "haver" in the interpersonal form. The uses of these verbs are discussed and analyzed in detail. The history and evolution of linguistic changes in Brazilian Portuguese are discussed in an attempt to detect historical…