Second-Language English Fluency Change in Native-Speaker Context

1. Second-Language English Fluency Change in Native-Speaker Context John Zehnder

2. Introduction • Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language is becoming increasingly important. • Social context has been neglected in Second Language Acquisition (Tarone, 2007). • Lybeck (2002) found that supportive social networks of native speakers can assist SLA. • The goal was to study this feature for English Acquisition through change in global fluency.

3. Methodology • Study design was based on Lybeck (2002). • Participants were interviewed 9 months apart. • Filled out surveys demographic surveys including information about composition of social network. • Recorded answers to questions about academics, acculturation, recreation, living situation, and English learning.

4. Participants • Analysis focuses on 9 ELL women from East Asia during their first year of U.S. graduate school. • Home countries include China (5), South Korea (2), Japan (1), Taiwan (1), and Vietnam (1). • Participants are labeled with pseudonyms.

5. Measuring Fluency • Prosody best signals ability (Anderson-Hsieh, Johnson, & Koehler, 1992; Derwing, Munro, & Wiebe, 1998; Munro & Derwing, 1995). • Fluency is difficult to define and measure. • A number of features correlate with fluency (Kang, Rubin, & Pickering, 2010): • syllables per second, articulation rate, length of runs, phonation time ratio • rate of stressed syllables (pace) • high-rising tone, mid-rising tone, mid-falling tone

6. Intonation Contours

7. Data Problems • Intonation contours are difficult to measure and quantify (Brazil, 1997; Pickering, 2004). • Speech samples were not controlled for content. • Participants’ speech was not monologic; it was interspersed with interviewer speech. • Speaking rate can still be used as a proxy for global fluency (Kormos & Denes, 2004).

8. Analysis • Samples were analyzed using Praat script that counts syllables (De Jong & Wempe, 2009). • 2 Samples approximating monologues were selected from each interview. • They were taken from 2 to 3 minutes into the interview. • Any interview syllables accidentally counted were subtracted by hand. • Speaking rate in each interview was calculated compared with demographic data.

9. Analysis with Praat

10. Changes in Fluency • Values are number of syllables uttered per second.

11. No Native Speaker Network Jung • They had no native speakers in their social networks by the end of the year.

12. In an L1-Relationship • At the end of the year, they both had at least one native speaker in their social networks, but they were involved in committed relationships with speakers of their native language.

13. Single, Native Speaker Network • At the end of the year, they all had one native speaker in their social networks. • They all remained single during the study period.

14. Discussion • It appears that if English learners have at least one native speaker in their social networks, they have more opportunity to improve their speaking abilities. • The more time that ELLs spend talking to speakers of their native language, the less they can improve their speaking abilities. • When academic programs are designed for English language learners, more consideration should be given to how the students will socialize with native speakers.

15. Limitations & Future Research • Social network data must be analyzed more quantitatively. • Sample was very small and future studies should include students from more L1s. • Samples were hard to compare and analyze. • Future studies should include larger sample size so statistical measure can be used. • Samples should be monologic and cover same content.

16. References • Anderson-Hsieh, J., Johnson, R., & Koehler, K. (1992). The relationship between native speaker judgments of nonnative pronunciation and deviance in segmentals, prosody, and syllable structure, Language Learning, 42, 529-555. • Brazil, D. (1997). The Communicative Value of Intonation in English. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press • De Jong, N. H., & Wempe, T. (2009). Praat script to detect syllable nuclei and measure speech rate automatically. Behavior Research Methods, 41 (2), 385-390. • Munro, M.J. & Derwing, T.M. (1995). Foreign accent, comprehensibility and intelligibility in the speech of second language learners. Language Learning, 45, 73-97. • Derwing, T.M., Munro, M.J. & Wiebe, G.E. (1998) Evidence in favor of a broad framework for pronunciation instruction. Language Learning, 48, 383-410. • Kang, O., Rubin, D., Pickering., L. (2010). Suprasegmental Measures of Accentedness and Judgments of Language Learner Proficiency in Oral English. The Modern Language Journal, 94, 554-566. • Kormos, J., & Denes, M. (2004). Exploring measures and perceptions of fluency in the speech of second language learners. System, 32, 145-164. • Pickering, L. (2004). The Structure and function of intonational paragraphs in native and nonnative speaker instructional discourse. English for Specific Purposes, 23, 19- 43. • Lybeck, K. (2002). Cultural Identification and Second Language Pronunciation of Americans in Norway. The Modern Language Journal, 86, 174-191. • Tarone, E. (2007). Second Language Acquisition Reconceptualized? The Impact of Firth and Wagner. The Modern Language Journal, 91, 837-848.