The effects of speaking rate and pausing on comprehensibility of non-native English

Comprehensibility: Speaking rate;Pausing;L2

Muramoto, Kokoro ; Sadler, Randall ; Franks ; Suzanne

关键词: Comprehensibility: Speaking rate;    Pausing;    L2;   

Others  :  https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/bitstream/handle/2142/90962/MURAMOTO-THESIS-2016.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

美国|英语

来源: The Illinois Digital Environment for Access to Learning and Scholarship

【 摘 要 】

This study examined the effects of the temporal variables (i.e., speaking rate and pausing) on comprehensibility ratings of second language (L2) speech. Twenty advanced Chinese speakers of English were audio-recorded as they read 3 short airline flight announcement passages. For each passage, the speakers adjusted their speech based on the instructions provided (i.e., natural speed, slightly slower speed, and natural speed with attention to pauses). All the speech samples were rated by 20 native speakers of English for comprehensibility. The results showed that although the Chinese speakers were successfully able to read aloud each passage and adjust their speech differently based on the instructions, the change in their reading style did not bring about any statistically significant difference in the comprehensibility ratings. The possible reasons for the speech adjustments having no effect on the ratings are discussed in terms of raters' topic familiarity and the cross-linguistic phonological difference in Chinese and English as well as pedagogical implications.