Presentation

What Makes a Bostonian Sound Bostonian and a Texan Sound Texan?

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Abstract

This paper introduces a preliminary version of a new methodology for the automated, data-driven discovery of acoustic features of speech which potentially contribute to an accent's distinctiveness. The results discussed herein, while merely illustrative at this stage, provide reason to be optimistic about the prospects of evolving a truly useful and robust automated methodology for cataloging the characteristic acoustic aspects of accented speech. If this line of research were to fully fulfill its promise, the resulting comprehensive catalog of features would contribute to our explicit knowledge of the correlates of accent. The knowledge represented by such a catalog could potentially be directly applied by teachers of second language pronunciation, and it certainly would inform the development of the more capable and individualized computer-assisted pronunciation training (CAPT) tools of the future.

How to Cite:

Talley, J., (2015) “What Makes a Bostonian Sound Bostonian and a Texan Sound Texan?”, Pronunciation in Second Language Learning and Teaching Proceedings 7(1).