Invited Talks

Utopian Goals for Pronunciation Research Revisited

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Abstract

In 2009, I gave a presentation at the inaugural PSLLT entitled Utopian Goals for Pronunciation Teaching. Here I revisit those goals to see how far we have come. Pronunciation is no longer the Cinderella of applied linguistics research; in fact, it is the Belle of the Ball, in that not only are many more PhDs graduating with a focus on L2 pronunciation, but established academics whose primary interests are elsewhere are now collaborating with others to examine pronunciation in relation to their own research specialty. We have seen massive increases in empirical studies on L2 pronunciation, as well as the establishment of a journal devoted to L2 pronunciation issues. In addition, innovations in technology devoted to pronunciation improvement have emerged. However, there is still considerable room for improvement and development in our field. I will address the Utopian goals identified in the original paper, outlining progress thus far, and suggesting ways forward. The goals are: increased attention to pronunciation from researchers; a stronger focus on teacher education; appropriate curriculum choices; a stronger focus on intelligibility/comprehensibility; more useful software/other technology; a focus on NS listeners; no more scapegoating of accent; and better strategies for integrating newcomers into the community.

How to Cite:

Derwing, T. M., (2018) “Utopian Goals for Pronunciation Research Revisited”, Pronunciation in Second Language Learning and Teaching Proceedings 10(1).