Tongue twisters are a controversial pronunciation teaching classic. Whereas some see tongue twisters difficult and frustrating for learners, others find them fun and motivating. This study was inspired by these opposing views and the fact that previous studies have failed to offer convincing proof of whether this technique works for L2…

High variability pronunciation training (HVPT) has been found to be successful for training various segmentals, such as the challenging /l/-/[voiced alveolar approximant]/ contrast, and suprasegmental features such as tone and pitch accent. These studies have found that HVPT is an effective method not only in helping learners improve their…

Phonological duration differences in quantity languages can be problematic for second language learners whose native language does not use duration contrastively. Recent studies have found improvement in the processing of non-native vowel duration contrasts with the use of listen-and-repeat training, and the current study explores the efficacy of…

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…

Word stress instruction has increasingly become a focus among EFL teachers. Owing to the phonological differences between the learner's first language and English, EFL learners of different nationalities encounter varying degrees of difficulty when pronouncing English polysyllabic words. The majority of EFL students studying medicine tend to find…

Background study: Computer-assisted pronunciation training (CAPT) has emerged as an important resource for second language (L2) pronunciation learning. CAPT offers diverse opportunities for learners to master L2 pronunciation with the help of authentic learning activities in multiple contexts. Objectives: This study presents a comprehensive…

Pronunciation is a crucial component of language acquisition, vital for achieving clarity and fluency in communication. This study, utilizing cycles of action research, aimed to evaluate the impact of songs on the pronunciation skills of Thai EFL learners. Additionally, this study explored the participants' perceptions of using songs in their…

As a concept established on MOOC, SPOC has been used by many instructors in universities. Although SPOC-based flipped classroom instructional modes have been applied in many disciplines including English learning in China, no empirical study has tried to disentangle the application of the modes in teaching English pronunciation. This study reports…

Explicit pronunciation instruction has been shown to be effective in improving language learners' pronunciation, yet it is not clear whether the same can be said about implicit pronunciation instruction. In addition, the role of orthography in improving language learners' pronunciation is yet to be fully understood. Thus, this research examined…

High-Variability Phonetic Training (HVPT) has demonstrated effectiveness in second language (L2) acquisition. This study utilizes a meta-analysis to explore the influence of high variability on learning L2 pronunciation and identifies the factors that moderate this impact. The studies were collected using a keyword search in the SCOPUS database.…

This study addresses the issue of automatic pronunciation assessment (APA) and its contribution to the teaching of second language (L2) pronunciation. Several attempts have been made at designing such systems, and some have proven operationally successful. However, the automatic assessment of the pronunciation of short words in segmental…

This study combines qualitative and quantitative methods to explore 15 English program (EP) students' attitudes toward English varieties and how they negotiate social meanings and construct their identity through stylistic practices in classroom discourse and English as a lingua franca (ELF) interactions. Through a verbal guise test,…

In recent years, learners worldwide have expressed increasing interest in mobile learning and the utilization of mobile devices for language learning purposes. However, few research synthesis studies have focused on pronunciation development in relation to employing MALL (mobile-assisted language learning). This review article contributes to the…

Background study: Chinese tone pronunciation instruction gains increasingly attention and various instructional strategies have been studied to develop effective tones in students. Students usually listen to successful pronunciation stimuli provided by the teacher or peers, to be copied by themselves. However, individuals seem more sensitive to…

Being able to pronounce a language so that a listener can understand (i.e., intelligibly) is critical to achieving communicative competence (Munro & Derwing, 1995), but is Duolingo helpful in this regard? Given Duolingo's status as the world's most widely used language-learning app (Hirschi, 2020), understanding its potential is important to…