How to optimize foreign accent in speech sound and word production

Dear colleagues, the next PsychoClub meeting will be held on May 21st, at 2.30PM, in room 2A, PSICO 2 building, via Venezia 12.

Speaker: Prof. Clara Martin

Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language

Hosted by: Eduardo Navarrete

Title: How to optimize foreign accent in speech sound and word production

Abstract:

Most second language (L2) learners experience difficulties in acquiring novel speech sounds and never reach a native-like pronunciation in the L2, leading them to speak with a characteristic foreign accent. But, given that speaking an L2 with a foreign accent leads to cognitive costs for the listeners and negative social impacts for the speakers, there is a need for L2 learners to practice and improve pronunciation during learning. In this talk, we will present a series of experiments suggesting that L2 word learning and pronunciation can be improved when the input includes multiple talkers, and is produced in foreign directed speech; when L1 orthographic input is kept minimal and a color-code is used in L2 orthographic input; if no other non-native language is intermixed, and when the training method includes typing. Those results have important implications for models on L2 speech production and learning, but also for education and improvement of teaching strategies.

For information or proposals:

seminari.psicologia.psicoclub@unipd.it

https://www.psicologia.unipd.it/psycho-club-program