Presentation

Native-Speaker Perceptions of Spoken L2 Spanish: The Role of Pronunciation and Implications for Pedagogy

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Abstract

Studies suggest that what NSs attend to while listening to L2 Spanish may be different from what L2 instructors attend to and that NS perceptions may be affected by both listener and speaker backgrounds. Therefore, sociolinguistic research on NS perceptions of L2 speech is relevant to the L2 classroom because it offers instructors guidance on what issues a student may face when interacting with a NS outside of the classroom. This paper reviews current research on NSs’ perceptions of L2 Spanish speech and considers trends in comprehensibility, acceptability, irritation, and the effect that background of both the NNS and the NS can have on perception. It then considers the application of such research to the instruction of L2 Spanish. While pronunciation is not often taught in L2 Spanish classrooms, this research suggests that errors in pronunciation cause greater misunderstandings for NS than those related to morphosyntax and it therefore lends support to the teaching of pronunciation. Although the body of research is relatively small, it offers us a specific list of errors related to both pronunciation and morphosyntax that instructors can use in order to attend to L2 Spanish more like NSs. It also offers valuable insight into how NS and NNS backgrounds affect NS perception which can be particularly helpful in preparing students to interact with NSs.

How to Cite:

Agostinelli, C., (2011) “Native-Speaker Perceptions of Spoken L2 Spanish: The Role of Pronunciation and Implications for Pedagogy”, Pronunciation in Second Language Learning and Teaching Proceedings 3(1).