Abstract:

Scholars have uncovered that the accessibility to speech analysis software, in particular Praat, can enhance the teaching of segmental and suprasegmental pronunciation aspects at tertiary level, irrespective of the presumable complexity of the software interface (Busa, 2007; Wilson, 2008; Calantoni, Steele, Escudero, 2015; Okuno, Hardison, 2016). This study, therefore, addresses a stepwise introduction of Praat-based English pronunciation teaching activities to non-native undergraduate students. Their integration process is a part of an ongoing institutional project aiming at the extension of Moodle functionality within studies by integrating Mobile and Praat-based activities for teaching English grammar and pronunciation. The first step (see Kuzmina & Vincela, 2018) was students’ needs analysis and the demonstration of how aspiration can be visualised. It led to the second stage – the research of the effect of Praat-based activities on the students’ aspiration, i.e. voice onset time (VOT) variations in the pronunciation of English voiceless/fortis plosive consonants. These variations are vital in connected speech because they can range from clear aspiration used to distinguish English voiceless plosives from their voiced/lenis counterparts (when they are devoiced) to the cases of aspiration loss. Such variations do not occur in the first languages of the 43 students who participated in the study. The analysed materials included the students’ questionnaires and the corpus of their speech samples created before and after their participation in VOT research activities.

The findings revealed more noticeable VOT variations after the research activity sessions. In addition, the students found VOT visualisation, its discussion and Praat-based activities helpful in understanding of VOT variations. The obtained results suggest the further integration steps of speech analysis software in the activities devoted to other segmental as well as suprasegmental English pronunciation aspects.

References:
[1] M.G. Busa, “New perspectives in teaching pronunciation,” in From DIDACTAS to eCoLingua: An Ongoing Research Project on Translation and Corpus Linguistics, (A. Baldry et al. eds.), pp. 171-188, Trieste: EUT, 2007.
[2] I. Wilson, “Using Praat and Moodle for Teaching Segmental and Suprasegmental Pronunciation,“ in Proceedings of the 3rd International WorldCALL Conference: Using Technologies for Language Learning (WorldCALL 2008), 2008.
[3] T. Okuno, M. Hardison, “Perception-production link in L2 Japanese vowel duration: training with technology,” Language Learning and Technology, vol. 20, no.2, pp. 61-80, 2016.
[4] L. Calantoni, J. Steele, P. Escudero, Second Language Speech. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2015.
[5] Y.Kuzmina, Z.Vincela Technology-Enhanced Studies of English Grammar and Pronunciation at Tertiary Level. INTED2019 Proceedings. IATED, 2018.

Keywords:

Pronouncition, aspiration, voice onset time, speech analysis software.