Perceived Foreign Accent: Extended Stays Abroad, Level of Instruction, and Motivation

Abstract: Studies have examined various factors that affect pronunciation including phonetic context, style variation, first language transfer, and experience abroad. A plethora of research has also linked motivation to higher levels of proficiency in the second language. The present study uses native speaker ratings and multiple regression analysis to investigate the relationship between motivation, cultural sensitivity, and level of instruction with perceived foreign accent. Participants include adult learners of Spanish as a foreign language from several levels of formal instruction as well as students with extensive experience abroad. Data include a brief oral interview, a questionnaire, and the Intercultural Development Inventory to measure cultural sensitivity.Key words: foreign accent, foreign language education, motivation, pronunciation, second language acquisition, study abroadPronunciation is an often underemphasized area of instruction in the foreign or second language (L2) classroom when compared to other aspects of language development. However, being able to produce the sounds of a language correctly plays a vital role in communication. Arteaga (2000, p. 342) argued that "it [is] ironic that the purpose of learning a language is to communicate, and yet if the pronunciation is too far off, you will not be understood no matter how good the grammar and how correct the words you use." Major, Fitzmaurice, Bunta, and Balasubramanian (2002), for example, showed that both native and nonnative listeners scored significantly worse on listening comprehension tests when the listening passages were read by nonnative speakers of English. Lord (2005) added that even if a speaker has a strong command of grammar and vocabulary, he or she may not be understood if a strong foreign accent is present. Dalton-Puffer, Kaltenbock, and Smit (1997) noted that "good pronunciation is indeed indispensable for adequate com- munication in a foreign language and is, moreover, to a large extent responsible for one's first impression of a learner'sL2 competence" (p. 115). Being able to produce the sounds of a language appropriately may be as vital to successful communication as breadth of vocabulary or the correct ap- plication of grammar principles. However, research on how students develop more native-like pronunciation is limited. This study compared students' progress toward native-like pronunciation at various levels of instruction, including students who participated in long sojourns abroad.BackgroundFor many instructors and students of L2s, the default answer to improving language skills, including pronunciation, is participa- tion in study abroad or, less frequently, service learning within the home communi- ty. While it is true that time abroad is not a magic bullet, research has generally indicat- ed that students who participate in pro- grams abroad tend to make more progress than students who complete similar course experiences on their home campus (Brecht, Davidson, & Ginsberg, 1993; Dewey, 2007; Segalowitz & Freed, 2004; Segalowitz et al., 2004). There is also a significant body of research noting that, all other things being equal, more time abroad is better (Berg, Connor-Linton, & Paige, 2009). For exam- ple, one study found that years after the experience, students who had gone abroad for a year reported that their experience affected their lives much more significantly than students who had gone for a semester or summer term (Dwyer, 2004). Other studies examined mprovements in the language and time spent using the language (Engle & Engle, 2003). In each case, the authors concluded that more time abroad was better.However, most of the research on study abroad has examined students' progress toward native?like use of anguage over relatively short periods of time-usually a semester or less (Brecht et al., 1993; Martinsen, 2010) and relatively less research has addressed students' progress toward native? …