Laetitia Kokx

Ph.D. Candidate

Michigan State University

Research activity

Research interests

My current research interests focus mainly on accentedness and pronunciation in French learners.

For my dissertation, I want to explore how social and identity elements link to pronunciation and how personal factors in learners' backgrounds may influence their accentedness over time by using primarily qualitative-oriented approaches.

Dissertation tentative title: "Accentedness in French Language Learners: A Linguistic Ethnography Exploring the Role of Personal Factors, Sense of Belonging and Attitudes"

Additional interests

Within the sociolinguistic field, I'm particularly interested in exploring the effects of accents in France as an instrument of social discrimination and how the standardization of an ideological norm empowers the dominant social class(es) and creates linguistic insecurity. I also want to connect glottophobia at the pedagogical level, helping students deconstruct their representations of the French language and increase awareness of its worldwide variations.

Considering my background in French learning and teaching (FLE), I'm especially committed to developing classroom strategies that empower students in their learning process and help them communicate orally (e.g., through the use of technology in the classroom or with group projects).

My literary interests focus on 19th-century literature and the questions of author-narrator duality, as well as the interpretation of mental health in 19th-century authors through their literary works. Other cultural interests involve the expression of identities in modern francophone cultures, including gender, race, sexual orientation, and social class.

Previous work

For my Master's thesis, I explored segmental and suprasegmental features of the accent in French learners of Italian and Italian learners of French.

My Master's thesis focused on the technical skills and corrective methodology in pronunciation as a basis to improve accentedness. I've also focused on other elements, such as the phonographic gap, choice of material in class, and gesture codes in pronunciation teaching.

Publications

Kokx, L. (2024). Accentedness Implications on French-Language Learners’ Identity and Investment: A Case Study. Proceedings of 14th Pronunciation in Second Language Learning and Teaching Conference, (pp. 1-11) Purdue University, September 2023. https://doi.org/10.31274/psllt.17654

Conferences

Applied linguistics and sociolinguistics

- AAAL 2026 - American Association for Applied Linguistics conference – Chicago – March 21-24, 2026.

Presentation 1: Real-Life Interactions Shaping Learners’ Accentedness: An Inquiry Through Linguistic Ethnography on Five Students of French

Presentation 2: Exploring attrition after a first-semester French course: A mixed-methods analysis (co-presenter)

- PSLLT 2025 - 16th Annual Pronunciation in Second Language Learning and Teaching Conference at Concordia University, Montréal (CA) – October 15- 17, 2023. Presentation: "I was so immersed in it": Connecting accentedness to using language for meaningful purposes. A case-study of a French learner.

- PSLLT 2023 - 14th Annual Pronunciation in Second Language Learning and Teaching Conference at Purdue University - September 6-8, 2023. Presentation: Accentedness implications on emergent identity: a cross-sectional study of non-native French speakers ©

- AAAL 2024 - Conference of the American Association for Applied Linguistics in Houston, Texas - March 16-19, 2024. Presentation: Autoethnography on accentedness in L2: First-person account of navigating linguistic identities and social aspects ©

- AFSL 2024 - Annual Conference of the Association of French Language Studies at Tulane University, New Orleans - September 25-27, 2024. Presentation: Accents régionaux et discrimination : enjeux identitaires et insécurité linguistique attribuables aux mécanismes d'établissement des idéologies dans la France contemporaine ©

Second language acquisition and teaching/learning

- Central State Conference 2026 - Languages are FUNdamental - Chicago - March 12-14, 2026

Presentation 1: Digital supports to build language learners’ oral participation and grow oral skills

Presentation 2: Virtual explorations with MapTalks (co-presenter)

- MIWLA 2025 - Michigan Language World Association Conference - Lansing, Michigan - October 23-24, 2025

Presentation 1: Scaffolding class-time activities to foster learners’ oral engagement

Presentation 2: Running out of ideas? Using AI chatbots to create engaging communicative language activities

- MSU 2024 Spring Conference on Teaching and Learning - April 19, 2024. Presentation: Enhancing French learners’ engagement through Nearpod ©

- MIWLA 2024 - Michigan Language World Association Conference - Lansing, Michigan - October 10-11, 2024. Presentation: Using the E-learning Platform Nearpod to Boost Learners’ Oral Engagement in Class ©

- TELIC 2024 - Technology-Enhanced Language Learning International Conference - University of Texas Permian Basin - November 15-16, 2024. Presentation: Nearpod as a Tool to Foster Active Oral Participation and Engagement ©