Self-reported vs. self-rated pronunciation in a non-native language
Abstract
The study investigates how their own accent in English is self-perceived by Polish learners. More specifically, we compare how, and to what extent, self-reported pronunciation differs from self-rated pronunciation prior to and after the exposure to one’s recorded speech. Previous research on non-native accent rating has concentrated on scores obtained from native speakers or other proficient speakers of English. In the current study, we concentrate on how learners evaluate their own accent in English for parameters such as pronunciation, articulation and fluency. We also introduce an independent variable of proficiency. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses were conducted and the result showed that there are no major differences between how learners report their accent in English and how they rate it from the recording of their own speech. It indicates that the general self-image of one’s accent is fairly stable and exposure to the sample of one’s speech does not change the overall self-perception.
Keywords
psycholinguistics; phonetics; self-assessment of pronunciation; language learning
References
Blanche, P., & Merino, B. J. (1989). Self-assessment of foreign-language skills: Implications for teachers and researchers. Language Learning, 39(3), 313–338.
Blue, G. M. (1988). Self-assessment: The limits of learner independence. In Individualization and autonomy in language learning. Oxford and London: Modern English Publications in association with The British Council.
Blue, G. M. (1994). Self-assessment of foreign language skills: does it work? CLE Working Papers, 3, 18–35.
Breitkreutz, J. A., Derwing, T. M., & Rossiter, M. J. (2001). Pronunciation teaching practices in Canada. TESL Canada Journal, 19(1), 51–61.
Chen, Y-M. (2008). Learning to self-assess oral performance in English: A longitudinal case study. Language Teaching Research, 12(2), 235–262.
Derwing, T. M., & Rossiter, M. J. (2001). ESL learners’ perceptions of their pronunciation needs and strategies. System, 30(2), 155–166.
Dlaska, A., & Krekeler, C. (2008). Self-assessment of pronunciation. System, 36, 506–516
Dolosic, H. N., Brantmeier, C., Strube, M., & Hogrebe, M. C. (2016). Living language: Self-assessment, oral production, and domestic immersion. Foreign Language Annals, 49(2), 302–316.
Episcopo, S. M. (2009). Non-native speaker attitudes toward non-native English accents (MA report, University of Texas, Austin).
Gardner, D., & Miller, L. (1999). Establishing self-access: From theory to practice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Gardner, R. C., Moorcroft, R., & Metford, J. (1989). Second language learning in an immersion programme: Factors influencing acquisition and retention. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 8(5), 287–305.
Harris, M. (1997). Self-assessment of language learning in formal settings. ELT Journal, 51(1), 12–20.
Hunt, J., Gow, L., & Barnes, P. (1989). Learner self-evaluation and assessment – A tool for autonomy in the language learning classroom. In V. Bickley (ed.), Language Teaching and Learning Styles Within and Across Cultures (pp. 207–217). Hong Kong: Institute of Language in Education, Education Department.
MacIntyre, P. D., Noels, K. A., & Clément, R. (1997). Biases in self-ratings of second language proficiency: The role of language anxiety. Language Learning, 47(2), 265–287.
Nowacka, M. (2008). Phonetic attainment in Polish university and college students of English: A study in the productive and receptive pronunciation skills. Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation. Lublin: Maria Curie-Skłodowska University.
Nowacka, M. (2012). Questionnaire-based pronunciation studies: Italian, Spanish and Polish students’ views on their English pronunciation. Research in Language, 10(1), 43–61.
Oscarson, M. (1989). Self-assessment of language proficiency: Rationale and applications. Language Testing, 6(1), 1–13.
Oscarson, M., & Council for Cultural Cooperation, Strasbourg (France). (1978). Approaches to self-assessment in foreign language learning. Distributed by ERIC Clearinghouse.
Raasch, A. (1980). Self-evaluation in adult education. Recherches et Echanges, 5, 88–99.
Ross, J. A. (2006). The reliability, validity, and utility of self-assessment. Practical Assessment, Research, and Evaluation, 11(10), 1–13.
Salimi, M., Kargar, A. A., & Zareian, A. (2014). Self-Assessment of Pronunciation and its Impact on EFL Learners’ Pronunciation Ability. International Journal of Language Learning and Applied Linguistics World (IJLLALW) 6(4), 605–622.
Spence-Brown, R. L. (2001). The eye of the beholder: Authenticity in an embedded assessment task. Language Testing, 18(4), 463 – 481.
Yule, G., Hoffman, P., & Damico, J. (1987). Paying attention to pronunciation: The role of self-monitoring in perception. TESOL Quarterly, 21(4), 765–768.
Institute of English Cultures and Literatures University of Silesia, Poland Poland
Research Unit of Applied Phonetics Institute of English University of Silesia, Poland Poland
![Creative Commons License](http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-nd/4.0/88x31.png)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
The Copyright Holders of the submitted texts are the Authors. The Reader is granted the rights to use the material available in the TAPSLA websites and pdf documents under the provisions of the Creative Commons 4.0 International License: Attribution - Share Alike (CC BY-SA 4.0). The user is free to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format, and to remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
1. License
The University of Silesia Press provides immediate open access to journal’s content under the Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0 license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Authors who publish with this journal retain all copyrights and agree to the terms of the above-mentioned CC BY-SA 4.0 license.
2. Author’s Warranties
The author warrants that the article is original, written by stated author/s, has not been published before, contains no unlawful statements, does not infringe the rights of others, is subject to copyright that is vested exclusively in the author and free of any third party rights, and that any necessary written permissions to quote from other sources have been obtained by the author/s.
If the article contains illustrative material (drawings, photos, graphs, maps), the author declares that the said works are of his authorship, they do not infringe the rights of the third party (including personal rights, i.a. the authorization to reproduce physical likeness) and the author holds exclusive proprietary copyrights. The author publishes the above works as part of the article under the licence "Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International".
ATTENTION! When the legal situation of the illustrative material has not been determined and the necessary consent has not been granted by the proprietary copyrights holders, the submitted material will not be accepted for editorial process. At the same time the author takes full responsibility for providing false data (this also regards covering the costs incurred by the University of Silesia Press and financial claims of the third party).
3. User Rights
Under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license, the users are free to share (copy, distribute and transmit the contribution) and adapt (remix, transform, and build upon the material) the article for any purpose, provided they attribute the contribution in the manner specified by the author or licensor.
4. Co-Authorship
If the article was prepared jointly with other authors, the signatory of this form warrants that he/she has been authorized by all co-authors to sign this agreement on their behalf, and agrees to inform his/her co-authors of the terms of this agreement.
I hereby declare that in the event of withdrawal of the text from the publishing process or submitting it to another publisher without agreement from the editorial office, I agree to cover all costs incurred by the University of Silesia in connection with my application.