TY - JOUR
T1 - PROFICIENCY AS A MEDIATING VARIABLE of INTELLIGIBILITY for DIFFERENT VARIETIES of ACCENTS
AU - Kang, Okim
AU - Moran, Meghan
AU - Ahn, Hyunkee
AU - Park, Soon
N1 - Publisher Copyright: Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2019Â.
PY - 2020/5/1
Y1 - 2020/5/1
N2 - Factors that affect comprehension of accented English (e.g., Harding, 2011) have been well studied, but little research examines how listeners' proficiency affects their sensitivity to second language (L2) accent. The current study investigated the effect of test takers' English proficiency on their comprehension ratings and ability to correctly transcribe different World Englishes accents. Ten speakers from six countries with different L1 backgrounds (i.e., North American, British, Indian, South African, Chinese, and Spanish) with varying degrees of intelligibility provided speech samples. Ninety-Two listeners from South Korea at three different proficiency levels listened to speech stimuli and determined their comprehension of the content as well as the intelligibility of the speech. The results showed that listeners were differentially affected by nonnative English accented varieties, based on both the intelligibility level of the speaker and the proficiency level of the listener. These findings have implications for the assessment and instruction of listening skills in global contexts.
AB - Factors that affect comprehension of accented English (e.g., Harding, 2011) have been well studied, but little research examines how listeners' proficiency affects their sensitivity to second language (L2) accent. The current study investigated the effect of test takers' English proficiency on their comprehension ratings and ability to correctly transcribe different World Englishes accents. Ten speakers from six countries with different L1 backgrounds (i.e., North American, British, Indian, South African, Chinese, and Spanish) with varying degrees of intelligibility provided speech samples. Ninety-Two listeners from South Korea at three different proficiency levels listened to speech stimuli and determined their comprehension of the content as well as the intelligibility of the speech. The results showed that listeners were differentially affected by nonnative English accented varieties, based on both the intelligibility level of the speaker and the proficiency level of the listener. These findings have implications for the assessment and instruction of listening skills in global contexts.
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U2 - 10.1017/S0272263119000536
DO - 10.1017/S0272263119000536
M3 - Article
SN - 0272-2631
VL - 42
SP - 471
EP - 487
JO - Studies in Second Language Acquisition
JF - Studies in Second Language Acquisition
IS - 2
ER -