Conceptualizing Pronunciation As Part of Translingual/Transcultural Competence: New Impulses for SLA Research and the L2 Classroom

Abstract: This article aims to reconceptualize pronunciation teaching and learning according to the tenets of the 2007 MLA Report and its call for translingual/transcultural competence. The critical discussion of current teaching and research practices shows that the realm of pronunciation has benefitted little from debates on intercultural language learning. In order to link the teaching of pronunciation with learner needs in intercultural encounters, this article develops the concept of pronunciation-as-language. The theoretical exploration of this concept is supported by a narrative analysis of study-abroad learners'accounts, contrasting learners' perceptions of teaching practices with the complex role pronunciation plays in second language-mediated interactions. The results underline the importance of pedagogical approaches that encourage the critical reflection on and creative use of pronunciation beyond structural elements and native-speaker norms.Key words: critical language awareness, native-speaker ideal, pronunciation, study abroad, translingual and transcultural competenceIntroductionIn 2007, the Modern Language Association (MLA) Ad Hoc Committee on Foreign Languages published a widely discussed report that offered thought-provoking suggestions for the reformation of language programs and language teaching philosophies at North American colleges and universities. One of the cornerstones of the report was the redefinition of teaching and learning goals: "The language major should be structured to produce a specific outcome: educated speakers who have deep translingual and transcultural compe- tence" (MLA, 2007, p. 3; emphasis added). The formulation of this learning goal echoes a critical discussion in recent research on second language acquisition (SLA): the attempt to overcome the focus on structural aspects of language learning, which draws on and promotes the native-speaker ideal for adult language learners and, due to its narrow focus, divorces the study of language from the study of culture and its artefacts (e.g., Canagarajah, 1999; Cook, 1999; Davies, 1989; Doerr, 2009; Kramsch, 1998, 2009, 2010).Although the MLA Report has attracted much attention and created ample discus- sion among researchers, program adminis- trators, and instructors (e.g., Barnes-Karol & Broner, 2010; and several articles in The German Quarterly, winter 2008, and Die Untenichtspraxis/Teaching German, fall 2009), there are areas of language teaching that have remained rather unaffected by its ideas and suggestions. One of these areas is pronunciation, which still appears to be conceptualized, taught, and learned as a separate phenomenon of speech, with little interconnection to the more global compe- tencies needed to interact successfully in intercultural encounters (Muller, 2011). The goal of this article is to explore ways of conceptualizing pronunciation as an essential element of the translingually/trans- culturally competent foreign language (L2) speaker, using the MLA Report as a point of departure for the critical discussion of current research and teaching approaches.Review of LiteratureDirections in Teaching and Research on L2 PronunciationBoth researchers and instructors have taken many approaches to the teaching of pro- nunciation. An important focus of instruc- tion in the direct and audio-lingual methods, explicit teaching of pronunciation received little emphasis in the early days of commu- nicative language teaching (Jones, 2005). In particular, Krashen's (1982) argument that pronunciation is acquired rather than learned led to the assumption that focused instruction designed to promote accurate pronunciation was at best useless and at worst detrimental. However, in recent years, there has been renewed interest in pronun- ciation (Breitkreutz, Derwing, & Rossiter, 2001), due in part to the belief that form- focused instruction may support the devel- opment of overall communicative skills. …