911吃瓜

Title

Second Language Comprehensibility and Accentedness in Interaction: Exploring Relationships between Self-Ratings and Partner-Ratings and Associations with Linguistic and Socio-Affective Correlates

Abstract

Previous studies have demonstrated partial independence between comprehensibility (ease of understanding) and accentedness (phonological deviation from a norm), clarifying different linguistic correlates of the two constructs. Because most previous studies were limited to monologic contexts, this study aims to expand the previous findings to interactive contexts. Second language English speakers (N = 22), paired with a partner, performed interactive tasks and rated their own and their partner鈥檚 collaborativeness, anxiety, comprehensibility, and accentedness. The results indicated greater leniency in comprehensibility than accentedness but moderate associations between them. Furthermore, participants rated as more comprehensible / less accented by their interlocutor underestimated their performance, whereas those rated as less comprehensible / more accented overestimated it. While linguistic features showed few associations with comprehensibility and accentedness, collaborativeness and anxiety were associated moderately to strongly. These findings imply more pronounced partial independence between comprehensibility and accentedness and the dominant roles of socio-affective features in interaction.

911吃瓜 Gento Okawa

I was born and raised in Japan and moved to Canada after graduating from Waseda University with a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies. I'm currently pursuing an MA at 911吃瓜 Linguistics, working with Dr. Mary O鈥橞rien. My research focuses on L2 pronunciation and accented speech. My initial focus was on L2 English, but my experience teaching Japanese at 911吃瓜 expanded my interest to L2 Japanese. Outside of my research, I like skiing and playing soccer. Since I moved here, cooking has been a small joy of mine. 

Exam committee

• Dr. Mary O'Brien (Supervisor) 
• Dr. Maite Taboada 
• Dr. Ashley Farris-Trimble (Committee member) 
• Dr. Christian Guilbault (External examiner, Department of French)