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PROFICIENCY AS A MEDIATING VARIABLE OF INTELLIGIBILITY FOR DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF ACCENTS

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 October 2019

Okim Kang Open the ORCID record for Okim Kang [Opens in a new window] ,
Meghan Moran ,
Hyunkee Ahn  and
Soon Park
Okim Kang*
Affiliation:
Northern Arizona University
Meghan Moran
Affiliation:
Northern Arizona University
Hyunkee Ahn
Affiliation:
Seoul National University
Soon Park
Affiliation:
Seoul National University
*
*Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Okim Kang, Department of English, Liberal Arts Building 18, Room 140, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, 86011-6032. Email: okim.kang@nau.edu
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Abstract

Factors that affect comprehension of accented English (e.g., Harding, 2011) have been well studied, but little research examines how listeners’ proficiency affects their sensitivity to second language (L2) accent. The current study investigated the effect of test takers’ English proficiency on their comprehension ratings and ability to correctly transcribe different World Englishes accents. Ten speakers from six countries with different L1 backgrounds (i.e., North American, British, Indian, South African, Chinese, and Spanish) with varying degrees of intelligibility provided speech samples. Ninety-two listeners from South Korea at three different proficiency levels listened to speech stimuli and determined their comprehension of the content as well as the intelligibility of the speech. The results showed that listeners were differentially affected by nonnative English accented varieties, based on both the intelligibility level of the speaker and the proficiency level of the listener. These findings have implications for the assessment and instruction of listening skills in global contexts.

Type
Research Report
Information
Studies in Second Language Acquisition , Volume 42 , Issue 2 , May 2020 , pp. 471 - 487
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2019 

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