Kazuya Saito

University College London, UK

Assessing, developing and teaching second language comprehensibility as a multifaceted phenomenon: the role of listener and speaker individual differences


Abstract


It is widely known that foreign accent is a normal characteristic of second language (L2) learning. Because of this, researchers and practitioners alike agree that helping L2 learners to be more easily understood when they speak is preferable to pushing them to develop nativelike accents. In this talk, I will provide a state-of-the-art overview on research which has developed, assessed, and taught second language comprehensibility (i.e., perceived ease of understanding). In particular, I will discuss a recent research paradigm which views successful L2 comprehensibility as a multifaceted phenomenon that is related to the individual variability of both listeners and speakers.
To explain “listener variability,” I will deconstruct how comprehensibility judgements are made according to phonological, lexical and grammatical information gleaned from L2 speech, and how assessment behaviour differs according to listeners’ linguistic, experiential and metacognitive profiles (e.g., monolinguals, bilinguals, vs. L2 users). Using these findings, I will provide tentative suggestions on how L1 and L2 listeners can be guided to better understand other L2 speakers while promoting a greater leniency towards foreign-accented speech—a crucial orientation that many listeners may need so as to smoothly handle real-life communication in today’s globalised world (e.g., Saito & Shintani, 2016; Saito et al., in press).
To explain “speaker variability,” I will illustrate how individual speakers differently enhance the comprehensibility of their speech, not only because they engage in different types of learning and instructional experience (learner-external factors), but also because they have different kinds of aptitude, motivation, emotion and personality profiles (learner-internal factors). While introducing a range of research-based comprehensibility training methods, I will explore which methods are most appropriate for different types of learners. These suggestions will ultimately help researchers and practitioners identify optimal instructional options that can be matched to individual difference profiles, and thus maximize the benefits of instruction (e.g., Saito et al., forthcoming; Saito & Plonsky, in press).
I will go over and connect each topic in the context of my previous experience as a researcher as well as a teacher in various foreign language classrooms all over the world.

References


Saito, K., & Plonsky, L. (in press). Effects of second language pronunciation teaching revisited: A proposed measurement framework and meta-analysis. Language Learning.Saito, K., & Shintani, N. (2016). Foreign accentedness revisited: Canadian and Singaporean raters' perception of Japanese accented English. Language Awareness, 25, 305–317.Saito, K., Suzuki, S., Oyama, T., & Akiyama, Y. (forthcoming). How does longitudinal interaction promote second language speech learning? Roles of learner experience and proficiency kevels.Saito, K., Tran, M., Suzukida, Y., Sun, H., Magne, V., & Ilkan, M. (in press). How do second language listeners perceive the comprehensibility of foreign-accented speech? Roles of first language profiles, second language proficiency, age, experience, familiarity and metacognition. Studies in Second Language Acquisition.