The prevailing view of phonological development is that changes in pronunciation are driven by phonological changes. This view (it is argued here) derives from the particular form of the data that has most often been used in studies of phonological development, namely broad phonetic transcriptions. Transcribing an earlier pronunciation with one…

Immigrants' age of arrival (AOA) in a country where a second language (L2) must be learned has consistently been shown to affect the degree of perceived L2 foreign accent. Although the effect of AOA appears strong, AOA is typically correlated with other variables that might influence degree of foreign accent. This study examined the pronunciation…

This paper investigates the nature of the substitutions used for the dental fricatives (/theta/ and /eth/) by Dutch learners of English as a second language. By means of an OT analysis, the underlying reasons for the difficulties encountered with these sounds are brought to light. The present data reveal that phonetics (or acoustics) rather than…

College students' pronunciations of initial "c" and "g" were examined in English words and nonwords, both monosyllables and polysyllables. Pronunciations were influenced by adjacent context--whether the following letter was "e" or "i"--and by long-distance context--whether the item contained a suffix or spelling pattern characteristic of Latinate…

This study sought to address three questions related to the pronunciation of Spanish by non-native speakers: (1) does the pronunciation of upper-intermediate become "fossilized?"; (2) is their a relationship between quality of pronunciation and amount of improvement?; and (3) when judging degrees of "foreignness," are…

This transcript of and guide to a two-cassette course designed to assist Swedish and Norwegian immigrants in erasure of their foreign accents can be used for either individual or group study. Narrative and taped demonstrations of American English that pinpoint typical phonological barriers and pronunciation difficulties are outlined. The author's…

This manual is designed to accompany the student's text in a self-instructional course intended to assist the student in attaining a high degree of competence in French pronunciation and a basic knowledge of how French sounds correspond to the writing system. The material is divided into ten chapters. Each chapter has three parts: (1) conversation…

Three essays are presented that deal with phonetic correction and that are intended specifically for Anglophones. They deal with the following topics: (1) methods and processes useful in phonetic correction with students called "false intermediates"; (2) a synthesis and a methodology of methods of phonetic correction of the "French R" with…

The purpose of this guide is to: (1) point out those differences between Black Tai and English which will cause difficulties for the Black Tai-speaking students of English, and (2) outline the most effective ways of helping the student overcome these difficulties. The first section is a contrastive analysis of the phonologies of Black Tai and…

This paper presents a comparative analysis of the sounds in American English and Brazilian Portuguese in order to focus on the problems that Brazilian students may encounter when learning to speak English. The comparative analysis of the consonants, vowels, and diphthongs describes how a given sound is pronounced in both languages. Particular…

The desirability of early foreign language (FL) pronunciation is discussed from organizational, psychological and social points of view. Gaining early mastery of the FL sound inventory (starting with the "dramatic items") allows beginning students to quickly enjoy significant initial successes of a very personal nature which also enable the…

A study investigated the attitudes of learners of English as a Second Language (ESL) concerning pronunciation as a part of their language learning experience. It also examined differences across gender, native languages, and majors. Subjects were 49 intermediate-level ESL students at a large university, approximately half of them male and half…

Compared pronunciation of targeted vocabulary items in spontaneous speech by 23 adult Chinese learners of English as a Second Language grouped according to mode of instruction: (1) traditional drilling activities; (2) self-study with tape recordings; (3) interactive activities; and (4) nonintervention control condition. Ratings of pronunciation by…

Foreign language learning is a challenging task, involving mastering a new sound system, phonological and syntactical forms, vocabulary, and sometimes a new writing system. For the adult second language learner, one of the most frustrating aspects is having an inadequate vocabulary for expressing complex ideas that are so easy to relate in one's…

Diglossia, or the use of two forms of a language in a single speech community, is widespread. Differences between the nonstandard form, used for everyday conversations, and the standard form, used for formal occasions and writing, often extend to phonology as well as grammar and vocabulary. Most preschoolers from diglossic families are routinely…