The effect of training on the quality and quantity of English vowels in adult native Russian speakers
Date
2016
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Tartu Ülikool
Abstract
The study examined the effect of training on the quality and quantity of English
vowels in adult native speakers of Russian. The experimental procedure included a short
intensive course in which pronunciation instruction was integrated into general
language training and accounted for 50% of the total teaching time. The instruction
aimed to target pronunciation through analytic-linguistic and integrative approaches, to
make it a meaningful integral component of learning and communication. The course
had seven participants. In order to determine and assess the changes in vowel
pronunciation and perception, participants undertook several tests, including a language
perception test (POSE) and production tasks prior, during and after the training course.
The production tasks involved reading a set of citation words, sentences and a short
text, all of which were recorded for further analysis. The analysis of the data showed
that although some changes occurred in the speech and perception of all participants, the
distribution of the changes was not even across the group. While a positive effect of
training was recorded in the perception of English among all of the participants, in
speech the effect was not as clear and participants’ improvements exhibited high
variation. Some participants improved their production of vowel durations while others
improved the quality of vowels. The statistics of participants’ attendance and work
devoted to out of class training indicated that the best results were achieved by those
with high motivation and a good attendance record. Even though pronunciation training
was found efficient in raising awareness of certain pronunciation features, which was
evident from the perception test results, in order to achieve more profound changes in
the participants’ speech, the course should have been longer.
Description
Keywords
inglise keel, võõrkeel, hääldus, täishäälikud, täiskasvanuõpe