Learner Pronunciation, Awareness, and Instruction in French as a Second Language

This study examined the speech of 30 adult learners of French as a second language (L2) in a 15-week listening/speaking course, investigating the relationship between learners' pronunciation development and their pronunciation awareness, measured through learners' conceptions of learning. The course targeted segmental and suprasegmental aspects, including connected speech processes (enchainement, liaison), intonation, and fluency. Learners wrote weekly journals eliciting measures of pronunciation awareness and completed read-aloud and picture description tasks at the course's beginning and end. Speech was analyzed through seven measures, including fluency and segmental and suprasegmental accuracy. Results showed significant improvements in learners' segmental production, enchainement, and some aspects of intonation and fluency. Several variables were associated with pronunciation awareness measures. Results are discussed in light of L2 pronunciation development and instruction-awareness links.