Presentation

The Development of /_/, a Variable Geographic Phonetic Feature, During a Semester Abroad: The Role of Explicit Instruction

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Abstract

Previous studies have shown positive effects of instruction on pronunciation after a time abroad (Lord, 2010). Four studies have examined the production of /_/ in Spanish, (Geeslin & Gudmestad, 2008; Henriksen, Geeslin, & Willis 2009; Knouse 2013, and Ringer-Hilfinger, 2012) and one found that eight out of nine learners increased their production during the 7-week immersion in León, Spain in the absence of explicit instruction (Henriksen, Geeslin, & Willis 2009). The current study differs from previous work by examining the effect of explicit instruction on the development of /_/, a salient dialectal feature to North-Central Spanish, in university-level adult learners of Spanish during a semester abroad in North-Central Spain. After completing a pretest, the experimental group, consisting of 14 students, received explicit instruction on when North-Central Spaniards use /_/, while the control group, consisting of 10 students, did not. Surprisingly, the experimental group decreased their /_/ use on all three tuasks from the beginning to the end of the semester, while the control group increased their /_/ use over time on all three tasks. Instruction alone is not sufficient, and other factors such as attitude toward this dialect, exposure to the dialect, and proficiency level play a role.

How to Cite:

George, A., (2012) “The Development of /_/, a Variable Geographic Phonetic Feature, During a Semester Abroad: The Role of Explicit Instruction”, Pronunciation in Second Language Learning and Teaching Proceedings 4(1).