26.460, Review: Applied Linguistics: Levis, Moyer (2014)

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Subject: 26.460, Review: Applied Linguistics: Levis, Moyer (2014)

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Date: Fri, 23 Jan 2015 14:09:36
From: Rachel Kraut [rachelsales at email.arizona.edu]
Subject: Social Dynamics in Second Language Accent

 
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Book announced at http://linguistlist.org/issues/25/25-1367.html

EDITOR: John M. Levis
EDITOR: Alene  Moyer
TITLE: Social Dynamics in Second Language Accent
SERIES TITLE: Trends in Applied Linguistics [TAL] 10
PUBLISHER: De Gruyter Mouton
YEAR: 2014

REVIEWER: Rachel Kraut, University of Arizona

Review's Editor: Anthony Aristar

SUMMARY

Social Dynamics in Second Language Accent (2014) is an edited volume compiled
by editors John M. Levis and Alene Moyer which seeks to explore the largely
uncharted field of how social factors influence phonological acquisition in a
second language. The editors aim to present the latest evidence across a
variety of methodological approaches from a number of experts in the field of
second language (L2) phonology to detail key research questions such as:

“What can learners’ own views of accent tell us about why their pronunciation
differs from native norms?

Can accent be easily defined by specific segmental parameters or is it
primarily a question of suprasegmental fluency?

What is the social impact of accentedness? Do listener perceptions and
attitudes toward pronunciation affect learners socially, with implications for
long-term outcomes in phonology? (p. 1)”

The book is divided into five parts which are summarized individually below:
Part I -- The Nature of Accent, Part II -- The Learner’s Approach to
Pronunciation in Social Context, Part III -- The Teacher’s Approach to Accent,
Part IV - The Social Impact of Accent, and Part V -- Conclusions.

PART I -- NATURE OF THE ACCENT

The first part of the book is comprised of contributions from field experts
Alene Moyer, Rachel Hayes-Harb, Jette G. Hansen Edwards, Lucy Pickering and
Amanda Baker. In “The Social Nature of L2 Pronunciation,” Moyer begins by
providing a definition of “accent” to pave the way for the rest of the chapter
which discusses a number of existing issues in the literature. In short, she
reviews some of the more prominent studies pertaining to the effects of accent
and age of the learner, attitudes, identify and agency in L2 pronunciation,
and the reception of L2 pronunciation. The literature review she provides in
this chapter lays the foundation for the more in-depth discussions that follow
in subsequent chapters.

To further develop the reader’s understanding of the nature of the accent,
Hayes-Harb presents a chapter, entitled “Acoustic-Phonetic Parameters in the
Perception of Accent,” which covers the literature on speech-related factors
in the perception of foreign-accented speech. In particular, the research she
reviews centers on “the acoustic-phonetic properties of speech and subjective
listener judgments of accentedness” (p. 31) to illustrate how the concepts of
intelligibility and comprehensibility, as defined by Munro and Derwing (1995:
251), may be influenced by task type and specific features of speech. Broadly,
Hayes-Harb’s review of the relevant research covers segmental and nonsegmental
contributions to accentedness, as well as methodological issues in
accentedness research.

Focusing on the constraints that impact developmental sequences in second
language phonological acquisition, Hansen Edwards brings to light a less
investigated research area: the impact of language-external factors on L2
phonological development. Much of the existing research on developmental
constraints focuses on language-internal factors such as first language (L1)
transfer. In her chapter, “Developmental Sequences and Constraints in Second
Language Phonological Acquisition: Balancing Language-internal and
Language-external Factors,” the author provides a concise review of the
evidence resulting from influential studies (e.g. Bayley, 1996; Abrahamsson,
1999) of language-internal factors followed by more recent work to highlight
the influence of language-external factors on L2 phonological development such
as “peer network groups, social identity, and ethnic group affiliation” (p.
58). To conclude the chapter, Hansen Edwards calls for a model of L2 phonology
that properly accounts for the impact of both language-internal and
language-external factors on development.

Pickering and Baker wrap up Part I of the book with “Suprasegmental Measures
of Accentedness.” The authors begin by providing the reader with historical
context as to why work in the social veins of this area, despite its
recognized importance by many, is scant. Namely, the literature covering the
impact of social factors on suprasegmental features of speech is quite lacking
in comparison to other areas of L2 phonological research due to the influence
of many language teaching methods around the 1960s and 70s which placed
emphasis on accuracy and perfection in L2 pronunciation (e.g. the Audio
Lingual Method). It was not until later in the 1970s and 80s that a radical
shift toward discourse analysis (Hymes, 1972) allowed investigation and
teaching of prosody to become “less marginalized” (p. 76).

Following the chapter sections creating historical context are a series of
brief reviews of many suprasegmental components of accentedness in the L2
including pitch, stress, pause, and rate measures. Next, Pickering and Baker
discuss some more recent work which has sought to shed light on the roles of
social factors, including listener familiarity, native speaker (NS) status,
various sociopolitical factors, and identity, on the perception and production
of L2 prosody. This chapter comes to a close with suggestions for the
direction of future work.

Part II -- THE LEARNER’S APPROACH TO PRONUNCIATION IN SOCIAL CONTEXT

Part II of the book shifts its attention to information about L2 pronunciation
in social contexts that has been gleaned from learner insights and choices. In
“Understanding the Impact of Social Factors on L2 Pronunciation: Insights from
Learners,” Kimberly LeVelle and John Levis present studies that have sought
out the metalinguistic perspectives of L2 learners in regards to their own L2
pronunciation and accent. Positioning themselves in a different direction from
many existing sociolinguistic studies pertaining to L2 pronunciation, the
authors review the relevant work about how social factors, such as peer group
influence and the development of personal relationships, may positively
influence acquisition. Additionally, L2 learner perspectives about the impact
of social participation in the target community, accent stigma and shame, as
well as imagined communities and identities. The vast majority of the studies
discussed are case studies making use of the sociolinguistic interview to
obtain learner data. A proposal of a sociolinguistic core for English learners
and teachers, in particular those living in Inner Circle countries, is
outlined near the end of the  chapter in hopes of giving a starting point for
a learning and teaching paradigm which prioritizes social factors in L2
pronunciation.

In the subsequent chapter, “L2 Accent Choices and Language Contact,” Erik R.
Thomas builds on the notion of the importance of the learner’s point of view
by writing about the sociolinguistic side of L2 contact. Before he gives a
thorough example from a case study, the author discusses the ways in which
quantitative sociolinguistic research and other areas of language study differ
in their approaches. More specifically, Thomas states that while most “studies
of language contact are primarily top-down and theory-driven...quantitative
sociolinguistics, conversely, is primarily a bottom-up, data-driven field”
(p.120). Presenting this distinction early in the chapter is important for the
review of research that follows. Arguably, the longest sections of the chapter
detail case studies of Mexican American English (MAE) and the social factors
that affect the linguistic choices of its speakers. Thomas chose to use work
over this particular variety of English to illustrate the influence of social
context on L2 pronunciation because it is spoken by the most well-studied
language contact population in the United States. The effect of historical
conflicts between Anglos and Mexican Americans in the studies reviewed
demonstrated that Mexican Americans, in some cases, do not acquire some of the
phonological features used by the Anglos they live near (e.g. weakening of
specific diphthongs) for reasons of solidarity. In other words, decades of
discrimination have left many Mexican Americans “with no motivation to
identify with the Anglos in their speech patterns” (p.138).

Concluding Part II, Cecelia Cutler’s chapter titled “Accentedness, ‘Passing,’
and Crossing” continues the discussion of L2 learner choice in phonological
acquisition and production. Firstly, Cutler briefly covers several examples
from the existing literature which show that L2 learners are often quite aware
of the social meanings that a certain speech sound may carry in a given
context. For example, Bailey (2000a, 2000b, 2001) interviewed groups of
Dominican immigrants in Rhode Island to find that they often displayed their
proficiency in Spanish so as not to be labeled African American or Black in
order to avoid certain social stigmas. Continuing on, Cutler further explains
how L2 speakers use this knowledge of social-linguistic relationships to draw
on certain linguistic features, either in the L1 or L2, to suit their
communicative aims. To this end, the author defines the terms “linguistic
styling,” “language crossing,” and “passing” coupled with examples from recent
case studies to demonstrate the many ways in which L2 speakers can selectively
use, or not use, specific linguistic features in order to target membership in
specific social groups, avoid the stigmas of accent stereotyping, or to
project a personal identity. A brief section covering possible pedagogical
implications of accentedness, “passing,” and crossing brings the section to an
end by emphasizing the importance for language educators to recognize their
students’ individual goals for L2 communication and the roles that identify
and other social factors may have on pronunciation.

Part III -- THE TEACHER’S APPROACH TO ACCENT

Stephanie Lindemann, Jason Litzenberg and Nicholas Subtirelu explore the role
of L1 norms and attitudes in teaching L2 pronunciation in their chapter called
“Problematizing the Dependence on L1 Norms in Pronunciation Teaching:
Attitudes Toward Second-language Accents.” At the opening of the chapter, the
authors call for a shift away from the importance of L1 norms in teaching
pronunciation due to the wealth of data suggesting negative attitudes towards
foreign-accented speech (which is subsequently discussed). Moreover, they
argue that accent stigma is not a reason for an increased focus on the
teaching of pronunciation, but rather signals a need to address the negative
attitudes head-on. 

In reviewing the decades of literature investigating attitudes toward
foreign-accented speech, the authors provide explanations of the typical task
types and experimental designs used in the research. Namely, matched guise and
verbal guise paradigms, two of the most common experimental designs in
language attitude research, are expounded along with some of the significant
findings from this line of work including the notion that native listeners
often perceive an L2 accent in speech samples where one does not actually
exist. Moving past the traditional use of native listeners for accent
judgments, Lindemnn et al. review studies from the newly growing area of
English L2 speaker attitudes toward L2 English yielding various interesting
results such as the “overwhelming support of native-like accents for learners
living in the Expanding and Inner Circles” (p. 179). The authors add to their
thorough discussion findings from work on attitudes toward L2 varieties other
than English as well as the influence of non-language factors, such as
(perceived) nationality and ethnicity, on accent judgments. Like Cutler,
implications for pronunciation pedagogy in addition to directions for further
research lie at the end of the chapter.

Debra Hardison turns her attention almost exclusively to the L2 pronunciation
teacher in chapter 9, “Phonological Literacy in L2 Learning and Teacher
Training.” She lays the groundwork for this section on the teacher’s
phonological literacy education by presenting data from Derwing (2008) and a
study conducted by the author to illustrate the lack of a standard in the
TESOL field for L2 teacher training in phonology. While some TESOL teachers
report having been prepared to teach L2 English pronunciation through a course
or other professional development, many still have low confidence levels in
their ability to use this knowledge to help their students’ phonological
development. What follows could be likened to a handbook for L2 phonology
teachers in that Hardison provides detailed sections about different aspects
of phonology that every pronunciation teacher should know, including
segmental, suprasegmental and socio-affective aspects of speech. In her
pedagogical implications section, the author prescribes general suggestions
for ways teachers can approach the gaps in their learners’, as well as their
own, L2 phonological literacy through the use of technology.

Well-known experts in the field of L2 phonology, Tracey M. Derwing and Murray
J. Munro, author the closing chapter of this section, “Training Native
Speakers to Listen to L2 Speech.” With the “primary emphasis on changing the
speech of language learners (p. 219)” in teaching L2 pronunciation, Derwing
and Munro point out that comparatively little has been done to develop the
skills of listeners to better comprehend and attend to foreign-accented
speech. The authors break down the existing work on this topic into factors
found to have an effect on the perception of learner speech (e.g. familiarity
with accents, attitudinal influences, and accent salience) and the different
methodologies used to conduct studies with listeners of L2 pronunciation, such
as familiarization, awareness-raising, contact with L2 speakers, and
laboratory training. After discussing the evidence, Derwing and Munro give
practical ways in which human resources departments, government agencies, and
international businesses and other venues with multicultural and multilingual
employees and clientele can improve their understanding of L2 accented speech.

Part IV

Comprised of just two chapters, Part IV of the book is authored by Okim Kang,
Donald Rubin and Gai Harrison. The former pair discusses linguistic
stereotyping and individual background factors in judgments on L2 oral
performance while Harrison writes about L2 accent in the workplace. In
“Listener Expectations, Reverse Linguistic Stereotyping, and Individual
Background Factors in Social Judgments and Oral Performance Assessment,” Kang
and Rubin explain studies of reverse linguistic stereotyping as experiments
which manipulate a visual (usually a photo of a person assumed to be the
speaker) associated with a single speech sample, usually recorded by a native
speaker of English. Because the speech sample played to different participant
groups is exactly the same, any different in oral performance assessment is
due to linguistic stereotypes associated with the image shown. Studies
involving reverse linguistic stereotyping have been conducted to shed light on
a number of everyday situations including possible linguistic stereotyping at
universities, healthcare institutions, and businesses. Further exploring what
factors may be in play during such oral performance assessments, Kang and
Rubin briefly describe relevant work on individual background differences in
listener ratings, explicating the influence of such factors as listeners’
formal training in linguistics, previous cross-cultural exposure, and social
attractiveness.

In “Accent and ‘Othering’ in the Workplace,” Harrison frames the motivation
for so many people to learn English as a second or foreign language: workplace
skills. According to Graddol, (2006:15) “English has been identified as a
‘near universal skill’ for the workplace” due to the projection for job-growth
in the communication sector across the globe. Reiterating information present
in previous chapters, the literature on accent perception in the workplace and
how accent plays into L2 identity is discussed. Although many of the same
points are touched upon (e.g. manipulating accent to serve a certain social
purpose, accent stigma, and negative evaluation), different studies and
sources are reviewed in comparison to prior chapters. Harrison introduces the
concept of language and accent as cultural capital in the later part of this
section to explicate the ways in which L2 accent indexes authority or social
standing and determines access to resources. Finally, the author concludes by
speaking out against standard language ideology, and as many of the authors
have, sheds light on its implications for language pedagogy.

Part V

Part 5, aptly titled “Conclusions,” is written by the editors, John M. Levis
and Alene Moyer. Their final chapter, “Future Directions in the Research and
Teaching of L2 Pronunciation,” aggregates and summarizes several themes that
permeate the preceding chapters including the issues of identity in second
language acquisition (SLA), the importance of incorporating insights from
learners, and a need for including the social aspects of L2 pronunciation in
research and teaching. Next, future directions for theoretical work,
methodology, and pedagogical implications are discussed in the contexts of the
results and significant findings highlighted by the contributing authors. In
closing, the editors hope that this volume “marks the beginning of a decisive
turn connecting social factors and L2 pronunciation (p. 288).”

EVALUATION

Social Dynamics in Second Language Accent (2014) is a great resource for L2
pronunciation teachers and SLA researchers alike. In many ways, the editors
achieve the goal of marking the beginning of connecting social factors to L2
pronunciation. Firstly, the breadth of topics covered in the volume is
impressive. The field of L2 pronunciation is well-explored and spans several
decades, resulting in copious numbers of studies for review. The editors and
contributing authors gleaned much from the significant findings and
influential studies in the existing wealth of literature on L2 pronunciation,
covering topics from acoustic-phonetic aspects of L2 pronunciation to
sociolinguistic studies of accent and L2 identity to examination of teacher
training and attitudes. Although studies investigating the social side of L2
pronunciation are fewer, enough were reviewed for readers to develop an
understanding of what is currently known and what is left to be explored.
Through their accessibly written reviews and analyses, it is easy for any
reader to realize the importance of expanding our knowledge and teaching
practices to incorporate what we know about the influence of social factors on
L2 pronunciation.

However, as with any publication, this volume is not without limitations, a
few of which are pointed out by the editors in the final chapter. Areas of
research including social factors involved in global lingua franca and world
English contexts were scarcely mentioned in the volume and could make for an
intriguing addition. When one takes into consideration the results of studies
such as Timmis (2002) which shows differences in support for native-like
accent among learners across Inner and Outer Circle countries, it is clear
that the influence of social factors in L2 pronunciation is quite different
from region to region and deserves further exploration.

Moreover, although the authors take care to review different sources, many of
the topics and key points overlap or are unnecessarily repeated across
chapters. For example, the matched guise technique, often used in studies of
language attitude, is defined in the introduction, and chapters 8, and 11. 
Readers may notice a similar phenomenon with the repetition of the definitions
for “intelligibility” and “comprehensibility” in chapters 1, 2, 10, and 12.
Many key points, such as the negative stigmas often associated an L2 accent,
are emphasized in multiple places as well. While these concepts may be
unfamiliar to readers not regularly engaged in the literature on L2
pronunciation, a functional understanding can be had without so much overlap.

REFERENCES

Abrahamsson, N. (1999). Vowel epenthesis of /sC(C)/ onsets in Spanish/Swedish
interphonology: A longitudinal case study. Language Learning, 49(3), 473-508.

Bailey, B. (2000a). The language of multiple identities among Dominican
Americans. Journal of Linguistic Anthropology, 10(2), 190-223.

Bailey, B. (2000b). Language and negotiation of ethnic/racial identity among
Dominican Americans. Language in Society, 29, 555-582.

Bailey, B. (2001). Dominican-American ethnic/racial identities and United
States social categories. International Migration Review, 35(3), 677-708.

Bayley, R. (1996). Competing constraints on variation in the speech of adult
Chinese learners of English. In R. Bayley and D.R. Preston (Eds.), Second
language acquisition and linguistic variation, 98-120. Amsterdam: John
Benjamins Publishing Company.

Derwing, T. (2008). Curriculum issues in teaching pronunciation to second
language learners. In J.G. Hansen Edwards and M.L. Zampini (Eds.), Phonology
and second language acquisition, p. 347-369. Amerstdam:Benjamins.

Graddol, D. (2006). English next: Why global English may mean the end of
“English as a Foreign Language.” London: British Council.

Hymes, D. (1972). On communicative competence. In J.B. Pride and J. Holmes
(Eds.), Sociolinguistics, (pp. 269-285). Harmondsworth: Penguin.

Moyer, A., and Levis, J. M. (2014). Social Dynamics in Second Language Accent.
Boston: De Gruyter.

Munro, M.J. and Derwing, T.M. (1995). Processing time, accent ad
comprehensibility in the perception of native and foreign-accented speech.
Language and Speech, 38(3), 289-306.

Timmis, I. (2002). Native-speaker norms and International English: a classroom
view. ELT Journal, 56(3), 240-249.


ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Rachel Kraut is currently a PhD student in the Second Language Acquisition and
Teaching program and a lecturer at the Center for English as a Second Language
at the University of Arizona. Her research interests include the acquisition
of English morphology, L2 reading strategies, and L2 lexical storage and
access which she investigates using psycholinguistic methods. Additional
research interests outside of psycholinguistics include perception of
foreign-accented speech, dynamics of L2 accent, and ESL methodology.








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