Presentation

(Un)intelligibility Tales

---

Abstract

We collected forty-two narratives describing communicative events in English that involved a misunderstanding attributed to pronunciation. The majority of the narratives described exchanges involving either a native speaker and a non-native speaker, or two native speakers. In this paper we report on the kinds of phonological features involved in the miscues in the exchanges, the kinds of repair strategies used, and whether and how participants used context to help them interpret the utterance. We also discuss elements in the narratives that describe the analytical and emotional reactions of participants in these exchanges. Finally, we reflect on the use of stories of (un)intelligibility for pedagogical and research purposes.

How to Cite:

Hahn, L. & Watts, P., (2010) “(Un)intelligibility Tales”, Pronunciation in Second Language Learning and Teaching Proceedings 2(1).