ELI Lecture Series: The Importance of Social Factors in L2 Pronunciation Learning

The fact that adult second language learners rarely achieve native-like accents has often been explained by the influence of a critical period for pronunciation learning or the amount of experience that adult learners have with the L2. However, previous research has also identified the importance of social factors as an explanation for why second language learners’ pronunciation often seems to fossilize. Dr. John Levis argues that attention to social factors is essential to more effective pronunciation teaching. After a review of research on how a variety of social factors appear to impact the ultimate success of pronunciation learning, especially looking at factors like identity, passing behaviors, L1 and L2 speaker attitudes, listener expectations, and institutional discrimination, Dr. Levis presents his own research about L2 learners’ feelings about the constraints of social factors on their own pronunciation. Finally, he suggests several adjustments to language teaching that integrate social factors into L2 pronunciation pedagogy.

Bio
John Levis is Professor of Applied Linguistics and TESL at Iowa State University. His articles on pronunciation and intonation have been published in a wide variety of professional journals. He is co-editor of the Phonetics and Phonology section of the Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics, for Social Dynamics in Second Language Accent, and for the Handbook of English Pronunciation. Dr. Levis also initiated the annual Pronunciation in Second Language Learning and Teaching Conference and is founding editor of the new Journal of Second Language Pronunciation.