ERIC Number: EJ1140280
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0958-8221
EISSN: N/A
The Pedagogical Use of Mobile Speech Synthesis (TTS): Focus on French Liaison
Liakin, Denis; Cardoso, Walcir; Liakina, Natallia
Computer Assisted Language Learning, v30 n3-4 p348-365 2017
We examine the impact of the pedagogical use of mobile TTS on the L2 acquisition of French liaison, a process by which a word-final consonant is pronounced at the beginning of the following word if the latter is vowel-initial (e.g. peti/t.a/mi = > peti[ta]mi "boyfriend"). The study compares three groups of L2 French students learning how to produce liaison over a two-month period, following a pretest-posttests design within a mixed-methods approach to data collection and analysis. Participants were divided into three groups: (1) the TTS Group used a TTS application on their mobile devices to complete weekly pronunciation tasks consisting of noticing, listen-and-categorize, and listen-and-repeat; (2) the Non-TTS Group completed the same weekly pronunciation tasks in weekly sessions with a teacher; finally, (3) the Control Group participated in weekly meetings 'to practice their conversation skills' with a teacher, who provided no pronunciation feedback. The results indicate that, although all three groups improved in liaison production, if considered separately (within groups), only the two experimental groups improved over time. The discussion of our findings highlights the pedagogical use of mobile TTS technology to complement and enhance the teaching of L2 pronunciation.
Descriptors: French, Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Control Groups, Pronunciation Instruction, Feedback (Response), Experimental Groups, Teaching Methods, Comparative Analysis, Pretests Posttests, Mixed Methods Research, Telecommunications, Handheld Devices, Teacher Student Relationship, Language Teachers, Computer Software, College Students, Instructional Effectiveness, Foreign Countries
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A