Language awareness and perception of connected speech in a second language

Abstract

To be effective second or additional language (L2) listeners, learners should be aware of typical processes in connected L2 speech (e.g. linking). This longitudinal study explored how learners’ developing ability to perceive connected L2 speech was related to the quality of their language awareness. Thirty-two learners of L2 French at a university in Quebec, Canada, took a course focusing on improving learners’ abilities to understand and decode standard and familiar connected speech processes in French. Learners engaged in numerous activities to raise their awareness of and to practise perception of connected speech processes. They also completed weekly journal entries about their learning experiences and language use. Results showed that learners with the most improved perception did not focus on rehearsing knowledge about connected speech processes, but focused on how to use that knowledge to extract meaning from speech. Results are discussed in relation to the relationship between L2 listening and different types of awareness.

Keywords:

• awareness
• L2 listening
• French as a second language
• connected speech processes
• perception instruction
• L2 phonetics

Acknowledgements

This research was funded by two grants awarded to the first author by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and the Fonds québecois de la recherche sur la société et la culture. We would like to thank Pavel Trofimovich for feedback on earlier drafts, and Guylaine Couture and Gabriel Michaud for their assistance with data collection and analysis. We would also like to thank two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments and suggestions. An earlier version of this study was presented at the 11th International Conference of the Association for Language Awareness in July 2012 in Montréal, Canada.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sara Kennedy

Sara Kennedy teaches at Concordia University. She conducts research on the effects of instruction and exposure on listening and speaking in a second language and on the production, comprehension, and assessment of L2 speech.

Josée Blanchet

Josée Blanchet teaches at l’Université de Québec à Montreal. She teaches and conducts research on the development of listening and speaking skills by learners of French as a second language.