Suprasegmentals and comprehensibility: a comparative study in accent modification

116 Pages·2005·0.46 MB·English

by  Christine Barb

SUPRASEGMENTALS AND COMPREHENSIBILITY:

A COMPARATIVE STUDY IN ACCENT MODIFICATION

A Dissertation by

Christine Barb

MA, Wichita State University, 2002

BA, University of Kansas, 1994

Submitted to the College of Health Professions
and the faculty of the Graduate School of
Wichita State University
in partial fulfillment of
the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy

December 2005
SUPRASEGMENTALS AND COMPREHENSIBILITY:

A COMPARATIVE STUDY IN ACCENT MODIFICATION

I have examined the final copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend
that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of
Philosophy with a major in Communication Sciences and Disorders.

______________________________________
Anthony DiLollo, Committee Chair

We have read this dissertation
and recommend its acceptance:

______________________________________
Peggy J. Anderson, Committee Member

______________________________________
Julie A. Scherz, Committee Member

______________________________________
Kathy H. Strattman, Committee Member

______________________________________
Marilyn Turner, Committee Member

Accepted for the College of Health Professions

______________________________________
Peter A. Cohen, Dean

Accepted for the Graduate School

______________________________________
Susan K. Kovar, Dean
ii
DEDICATION

Mom and Dad

Tootsie

Sandy

Dr. E

iii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to thank my dissertation chairman, Dr. Anthony DiLollo, for his
extraordinary patience, guidance, and humor throughout this unique experience. I have
tremendous gratitude for helping me across the finish line under the most exceptional of
circumstances. For any doctoral students to follow, you can thank me for making your
experiences seem smooth by comparison. My gratitude extends to all members of my
committee, past and present.
Thank you, Dr. Peggy Anderson, for providing inspiration and motivation to
combine my interests in speech-language pathology and English as a second language. I
am most grateful for the opportunity to connect with a mentor in terms of colors and
brushstrokes where others see print-type. Your suggestions helped color and shape my
world. Dr. Julie Scherz provided support in so many ways, for so long, that she was
always a part of my committee in one form or another. Sometimes hugs in the hallway
were the kind of support that got me further than anything else. Thank you for stepping in
during the final stages of this journey. Dr. Kathy Strattman, I would not be writing this
dissertation today if I weren(cid:146)t inspired by the work you and Dr. Edwards have done
throughout the years. I am honored to be able to contribute to it. Thank you for your
insight and patience as I shared my ideas with you. I am very grateful for Dr. Marilyn
Turner(cid:146)s expertise in psychology and enthusiastic support as guiding influences in my
research. When I think of Dr. Turner(cid:146)s suggestions, what comes to mind immediately is,
(cid:147)That(cid:146)s interesting! Go with it!(cid:148) That(cid:146)s the best advice I ever heard for research and life.
It reminds me of Dr. Edward(cid:146)s outlook.
iv
Dr. Harold T. Edwards, you did help me across the finish line whether you were
here or not. If there were a better word than thank you I(cid:146)d use it but for the first time in
my life, words escape me. Thank you for the encouragement to always seek the
questions. Without your support, humor, and individuality, I never would have started
this process and if you weren(cid:146)t such a wonderful mentor none of that would have carried
on without you. You are. It did. Thank you, Dr. E, for everything.
For all the professors who contributed to my committee(s), including Dr. Kenn
Apel, Dr. Barbara Hodson, and Dr. Ro Scudder, thank you for your time, suggestions,
and guidance. You proved that it really does take a village. Dr. Ray Hull, thank you for
sharing in all my joys and trials throughout my graduate career. I could always count on
you for an uplifting spin on the day(cid:146)s events. Johanna Hutmacher, you(cid:146)ve seen it all. I
don(cid:146)t know if it(cid:146)s possible to pay back as much as Johanna has given, but I(cid:146)m sure it will
all come back to her bigger and better than she can imagine, and that says a lot. Jaymie
Faust, thanks for all your patience with me over the years. I(cid:146)m glad I(cid:146)m leaving before
you because I can(cid:146)t imagine not sharing a smile and laugh with you when I walk into the
office.
I would like to thank all the students who have inspired me throughout the years
by their dedication, kindness, and unique perspectives of the world. Without them, not
only would my research not have been possible, but my future would not be calling out
for me to join it. Thank you to all of the participants who were so patient and hard-
working during the accent modification classes.

v
I am grateful to the doctoral students in this program who have shared the
triumphs and tribulations as only other doc students can truly fathom. Thank you for all
your cards, notes, gifts, words, and cocktails of encouragement. I(cid:146)ll let the Dropkick
Murphys sing here, (cid:147)Times were tough, But the memories remain, Situations rough, But
we overcame, Side by side, One for all, Together we grew, Cause when it’s said and
done, I’ll look back on friends like you.(cid:148)
I have the best family and friends in the world. If they(cid:146)re still my friends after
this, I(cid:146)m sure they(cid:146)re friends for life. My parents made this possible, in many ways, and
I(cid:146)m eternally grateful for the inspiration and support I(cid:146)ve always received in my
educational career from my whole family. I couldn(cid:146)t have done this without my sister(cid:146)s
extreme patience and the countless hours spent reading e-mails and talking on the phone.
Thanks for providing the soundtrack to my life. It kept me going when I didn(cid:146)t think I
could take another step. Adrienne and Greg, thank you not only for catching me when I
got too close to the edge, but for helping me realize that it(cid:146)s a good place to be.
I send my sincere gratitude to TLG, especially Doug and Sandy who are masters
of mental theater sent via e-mail. You(cid:146)re not really alone if someone can make you laugh
from a thousand miles away. Thanks to my best girls, Sandy and Kimi, for all the reasons
I don(cid:146)t have to say. I can(cid:146)t forget to mention my unconditional pals, Archie, Stedo,
Angel, and Dottie, thank you guys for teaching me about the joy found in a good
sunbeam. Finally, thanks to everyone at Kirby(cid:146)s and The Anchor for the support shared
one pint at a time. Cheers!
vi
ABSTRACT

This study investigated the effectiveness of two methods of accent modification
instruction. Thirty nonnative English speakers received an intonational-based instruction
method for the pronunciation of American English. Half of those speakers received
additional instruction and activities that were based on theories of cognitive processing of
language. Three expert listeners evaluated pre- and post-instruction recordings of each
speaker. Listeners were asked to rate the use of speech characteristics determined to be
instrumental for intelligible speech on a 5-point Likert scale and three yes/no responses.
As a whole, the intonational-based instruction method resulted in significant
increases in the use of positive speech characteristics. A modification of that method did
not result in significant differences in any of the speech characteristics. Findings of this
study support the focus on suprasegmentals in pronunciation training of English as a
second language and may lead to more diverse methods and designs for accent
modification research.
vii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter Page
I. INTRODUCTION 1
II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE 5
Accentedness 5
Accent Modification 7
Terminology 7
Objectives 7
Learners 8
Teachers 9
Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages 9
Speech-Language Pathologists 10
Voice Coaches 11
Instruction Format 12
Historical Framework of Pronunciation Pedagogy 12
Language Production, Processing, and Acquisition 16
Speech vs. Language 16
Multilingual Speech Production Models 17
Theories of Accented Speech 18
Language Mode 19
L1 and L2 Acquisition 20
Facilitation and Constraints of L2 Learning 21
Memory 22
Attention and Capacity 23
Emotion 24
Context 25
Communicative Approach 26
Methods of Accent Modification 27
Edwards and Strattman Method 27
The Modified Method 28
Reconceptualzing L2 Teaching 29
Facilitating Language Production 31
Statement of Purpose and Research Questions 33

III. METHOD 34
Participants 34
Speakers 34
Experimental Group 35
Control Group 37
Listener-Raters 39
Procedures 39
viii
Edwards and Strattman Method 39
Modified Method 42
Preliminary 42
Modifications to Manual 43
Additions to Manual 44
Data Collection 46
Preparation of Evaluation Material 47
Rating the Speech Samples 48
Data Analysis 53

IV. RESULTS 55
The Edwards and Strattman Method 56
The Modified Method 58

V. DISCUSSION 63
Summary 64
Question 1: The Edwards and Strattman Method 65
Assessment 64
Instruction 66
Prosodic Variables 67
Linking 68
Pitch Control 68
Future Research 70
Question 2: The Modified Method 71
Archived Speech Samples 72
Practice Effect 73
Future Research 74
Qualitative Research 75
Additional Activities 76
Conclusion 79

REFERENCES 80

APPENDIXES 95
A. Student Questionnaire 96
B. Consent Form 99
C. Exit Interview Questions 100
D. Rating Rubric 101
E. Listener-Rater Form 102
F. Mean Scores 103
ix
LIST OF TABLES
Table Page
1. Experimental Group Demographics 36

2. Control Group Demographics 38

3. Comparison of Traditional and Modified Accent Modification
Course Structures 41

4. Intercorrelations Between Posttest Speech Variables (N=30) 56

5. Stepwise Multiple Regression Analysis Between the Criterion
Variable h (Overall Perception of Comprehensibility) and Four
Speech Characteristics Variables (N = 30) 57

6. Comparison of Binary Variables 58

7. Descriptive Statistics of Language-Related Demographics 59

8. Analyses of Covariance for the Influence of Pretest Scores and
Language-Related Demographic Variables on Posttest Scores 60

9. Analyses of Covariance for the Influence of Pretest Scores
on Posttest Scores 61

10. Descriptives of the Control and Experimental Groups on
Binary Variables 62

11. Chi Square Analysis 62

12. Rating Rubric 101

13. Mean Scores 103
x