This study examines the L2 pronunciation feedback provided by the Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) functionality in Google Translate (GT). We focus on three Quebec Francophone (QF) errors in English: th-substitution, h-deletion, and h-epenthesis. Four hundred and eighty male and female QF recordings of sentences with correctly and incorrectly…

This paper examines the impact that a game-informed pronunciation site has on the acquisition of English /r/-/l/. Twenty-three Japanese-speaking English learners completed a series of pronunciation activities directed at improving their phonological awareness and oral production of the /r/-/l/ contrast. The activities included game-informed tasks…

This paper examines the impact of self-directed pronunciation practice using "Google Translate" (GT) on the acquisition of French liaison (the production of latent consonants when they appear in consonant-vowel contexts across words: /z/ in le/za/mis 'the friends'). Second-language (L2) French learners completed homework activities on GT…

We are developing a Computer-Assisted Pronunciation Training (CAPT) system for learners of Icelandic as a second and foreign language (L2). Based on pre-designed tasks in pronunciation exercises, this system will provide corrective feedback on learners' speech. One of the main features we are implementing is a new method for automatic…

This study investigated the degree to which Japanese learners of English accurately perceive English fricatives over time and the extent to which fricatives were misidentified. To train and measure perception skills, an online high-variability phonetic training program was used in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) class in Japan for eight…

The study explored the pedagogical use of Text-To-Speech (TTS) synthesizers by comparing two groups of students learning the pronunciations associated with Regular Past Tense (RPT) marking in English (e.g. talk[t], clean[d], want[id]). While one group received TTS-based instruction, the other was taught RPT with teacher assistance. Our findings…

This study investigates the efficacy of explicit rhythm instruction to improve engineering students' prosody in English. A pronunciation module of ten weekly sessions of 30 minutes held within the class schedule was designed for a technical English course at Rovira i Virgili University. Sessions were outlined using a communicative framework. Two…

Learning a second language is a challenging endeavour which requires various degrees of support. The proliferation of smart technologies includes chatbots and conversational agents which have the potential to 'assist' language learners (Kukulska-Hulme, 2019). However, whilst a growing number of researchers and developers are working on such…

This study examined the use of a popular Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR), Google Voice Typing (GVT), to automatically assess English as second language pronunciation. It aimed to answer the following question: What is the relationship between GVT-rated scores and human-rated scores? To answer this question, we compared audio recordings of 56…

During the last decades of the 20th century, audiovisual products began to be audio described in order to make them accessible to blind and visually impaired people (Benecke, 2004). This means that visual information is orally described in the gaps between dialogues. In order to meet the wishes of the so-called On Demand (OD) generation that wants…

This study explores the effects of extensive exposure to L2 TV series, describing perceptions of learning from this type of input. A total of 136 university learners of English participated in a pre-/post-test design study which included extensive watching of ten full-length episodes of an English TV series. There were three groups: captions,…

The orthographical depth of a language impacts on a learner's ability to learn a language (Katz & Frost, 1992). If it is easier for learners to read the language as it is written, it will make the learning process easier. One way to address the problem of orthographically deep or opaque languages where the pronunciation is not very easy to…

High Variability Phonetic Training (HVPT) is a perception-based pronunciation training which has brought about progress in both perception and production in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms. This could be due to the increased exposure to second language sound varieties presented at random, which is unique to HVPT. Progress in…

This paper addresses the process of transcribing and annotating spontaneous non-native speech with the aim of compiling a training corpus for the development of Computer Assisted Pronunciation Training (CAPT) applications, enhanced with Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) technology. To better adapt ASR technology to CAPT tools, the recognition…

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…