Foreign Accent Perception

Foreign Accent Perception
Author: Agnieszka Bryla-Cruz
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Total Pages: 297
Release: 2016-04-26
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1443892017

The phenomenon of foreign accents and their perception have received considerable attention from pronunciation specialists and academic researchers working within different fields of study, such as phonetics, phonology, foreign language teaching, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, social psychology, anthropology, and even law. The reason for this widespread interdisciplinary interest is caused by the fact that, in addition to revealing the speaker’s origin, accent carries significant social connotations and evokes various ethnic, racial, religious and socio-economic stereotypes. This book represents the largest, up-to-date qualitative and quantitative investigation into the accentedness, acceptability, intelligibility and comprehensibility of Polish English of three groups of native speakers, the English, the Irish and the Scottish, comparing the ways in which it is perceived by members of three nations and establishing pronunciation priorities. The book will be of interest not only to phoneticians, pronunciation specialists and sociolinguists, but also to EFL teachers and students.

Foreign Accent

Foreign Accent
Author: Alene Moyer
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 231
Release: 2013-03-14
Genre: Foreign Language Study
ISBN: 1107005817

To what extent do our accents determine the way we are perceived by others? Is foreign accent inevitably associated with social stigma? In this fascinating account, Alene Moyer examines the social, psychological, educational and legal ramifications of sounding 'foreign'.

Foreign Accent Syndromes

Foreign Accent Syndromes
Author: Jack Ryalls
Publisher: Psychology Press
Total Pages: 271
Release: 2014-08-13
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1317974050

What does it feel like to wake up one day speaking with a foreign accent from a country one has never visited? Why does someone wake up doing this? This book seeks to portray the broad and diverse experiences of individuals with a rare neurological speech disorder called Foreign Accent Syndrome (FAS). Through a combination of personal testimony and scientific commentary, the book aims to shed unprecedented light on the understanding of FAS by elucidating the complex links between how the brain produces speech, how listeners perceive speech and the role that accent plays in our perception of self and others. The first part of the book provides a comprehensive introduction to FAS and covers a number of key subject areas, including: • The definition and phenomenology of FAS • A history of research on FAS • The causes and psychosocial consequences of FAS • A guide to further reading and a glossary of specialized terms. The chapters in part two provide a unique insight into the condition through personal testimony and accounts from family members. This collection of 28 testimonies from across the world underlines the importance of listening carefully to patients explain their cases, and in their own words. The final section contains a questionnaire for use by clinicians to support case history taking. The authors are two leading global experts on FAS, and this is the first volume of its kind to provide such a broad and comprehensive examination of this rare and poorly understood condition. It will be of great interest to practising clinicians in neurology, psychiatry, psychology and speech and language therapy/pathology, as well as students in health disciplines relevant to neurorehabilitation, linguists and also to families and caregivers.

Language in Immigrant America

Language in Immigrant America
Author: Dominika Baran
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 389
Release: 2017-10-12
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1107058392

Machine generated contents note: Introduction; 1. Whose America?; 2. The alien specter then and now; 3. Hyphenated identity; 4. Foreign accents and immigrant Englishes; 5. Multilingual practices; 6. Immigrant children and language; 7. American becomings

Investigating English Pronunciation

Investigating English Pronunciation
Author: Jose A. Mompean
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 350
Release: 2015-10-08
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1137509430

This book updates the latest research in the field of 'English pronunciation', providing readers with a number of original contributions that represent trends in the field. Topics include sociophonetic or sound-symbolic aspects of pronunciation English pronunciation teaching and learning.

The Effects of Cognitive Load on the Perception of Foreign-accented Words

The Effects of Cognitive Load on the Perception of Foreign-accented Words
Author: Leah M. Bonath
Publisher:
Total Pages: 37
Release: 2016
Genre:
ISBN:

A significant amount of the research conducted in the area of foreign-accented speech has examined the influence that intelligibility, comprehensibility, and strength of accent have on the perception of foreign-accented speech. Factors such as speaking rate, signal-to-noise ratio, number of talkers, familiarity with the foreign-accent and, most relevant to the present study, cognitive load all play a role in how accented speech is perceived. In the current study, we explored the inverse of this relationship. We hypothesized that degree of cognitive load would affect participants0́9 accent ratings. The purpose of this research was to evaluate two competing hypotheses. According to a difficulty-based account, increases in cognitive load should lead to increased accent ratings, such that both native and non-native accents are rated stronger. According to an alternative resource-based account, increases in cognitive load should push accent ratings toward more neutral ratings, such that native accents are rated stronger and non-native accents are rated weaker, as there will be fewer available resources to attend to the accent-rating task. Results showed that cognitive load led to significantly weaker ratings of the foreign-accented speakers, as predicted by the alternative resource-based account. However, the influence of cognitive load only emerged in a high cognitive load condition, and cognitive load had no significant effects on the native-accented speakers. In addition to a number of potential practical implications for accented speakers, our results have important theoretical implications for the perception of foreign-accented speech and for the relationships between language and accent perception.

The Phenomenon of the Foreign Accent Syndrome

The Phenomenon of the Foreign Accent Syndrome
Author: Sarah Darwish
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
Total Pages: 22
Release: 2018-06-15
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 3668727600

Research Paper (undergraduate) from the year 2017 in the subject Speech Science / Linguistics, grade: 1,3, University of Augsburg, language: English, abstract: The aim of this paper is to introduce the reader to the Phenomenon of the Foreign Accent Syndrome (FAS) and to work out the similarities and differences between the syndrome and a real foreign accent. For this, various case studies will be introduced and their results will be drawn together in order to list up the main facts and characteristics of the foreign accent syndrome. Following, a reflection about the probable causes of the syndrome will be done. There has not been a lot of research about the foreign accent syndrome and only little is known about the real pathologic cause of FAS. The FAS is to separate from other disorders such as apraxia (and aphasia), despite the fact that they share a lot of common features and the FAS is considered to be a subtype of the AoS. Although there is no detailed knowledge about the cause of foreign accent syndrome, the theories about its pathologic reasons will be discussed as well. Although there are several known kinds of the foreign accent syndrome, this paper will focus on the ones following a stroke or other lesions affecting the human brain. On the following pages the characteristics of a real foreign accent will be compared to the ones of the foreign accent syndrome with the aim to find out which factors lead to the perception of the individuals ́ speech as foreign and to reveal the actual differences. In final the results will be discussed.

Language beyond Words: The Neuroscience of Accent

Language beyond Words: The Neuroscience of Accent
Author: Ignacio Moreno-Torres
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Total Pages: 176
Release: 2017-03-23
Genre:
ISBN: 2889451070

Language learning also implies the acquisition of a set of phonetic rules and prosodic contours which define the accent in that language. While often considered as merely accessory, accent is an essential component of psychological identity as it embodies information on origin, culture, and social class. Speaking with a non-standard (foreign) accent is not inconsequential because it may negatively impact communication and social adjustment. Nevertheless, the lack of a formal definition of accent may explain that, as compared with other aspects of language, it has received relatively little attention until recently. During the past decade there has been increasing interest in the analysis of accent from a neuroscientific perspective. This e-book integrates data from different scientific frameworks. The reader will find fruitful research on new models of accent processing, how learning a new accent proceeds, and the role of feedback on accent learning in healthy subjects. In addition, information on accent changes in pathological conditions including developmental and psychogenic foreign accent syndromes as well as the description of a new variant of foreign accent syndrome is also included. It is anticipated that the articles in this e-book will enhance the understanding of accent as a linguistic phenomenon, the neural networks supporting it and potential interventions to accelerate acquisition or relearning of native accents.

Foreign Accent Syndrome (FAS): The Speech Characteristics of Foreign Accent Syndrome

Foreign Accent Syndrome (FAS): The Speech Characteristics of Foreign Accent Syndrome
Author: David Stehling
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
Total Pages: 13
Release: 2012-11-26
Genre: Literary Collections
ISBN: 3656319669

Seminar paper from the year 2009 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Linguistics, grade: B, University of Wales, Bangor, course: Speech and Language Disorders, language: English, abstract: After a brain injury, e.g. a stroke, areas of the brain can be damaged permanently. Thus, a lesion on the brain can have long-term consequences for the concerned person, such as paralyses, decreased reflexes, altered sensory perception, memory deficits, and/or speech and comprehension impairments. The latter may include aphasia (i.e. affection of Broca’s or Wernicke’s area causing an inability to produce or comprehend language), apraxia (impairment of voluntary movements), or foreign accent syndrome (also known as altered-accent syndrome). The foreign accent syndrome (FAS) is a disorder that is still not completely researched, since, according to Katz et al. (2008: 537), its “symptomotology and underlying bases are poorly understood.” Nevertheless, there are some cases that have been described and examined. This essay deals with the main speech characteristics of FAS and the relative extent to which segmental and prosodic features are affected in this disorder. Therefore, the syndrome will be defined and described first. In the succeeding section, the segmental and prosodic features of FAS are taken into consideration. The last part contains the classification of FAS with respect to other speech and language disorders, such as apraxia, aphasia, and dysarthria, whether it is a mere sub-type of these disorders or if it should be treated separately.

Foreign Accent

Foreign Accent
Author: Roy C. Major
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 222
Release: 2001-03-01
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1135649413

Even though second-language learners may master the grammar and vocabulary of the new languages, they almost never achieve a native phonology (accent). Scholars and professionals dealing with second-language learners would agree that this is one of the most persistent challenges they face. Now, for the first time, Roy Major's Foreign Accent covers the exploding scholarship in this area and lays out the issues specifically for audiences in the second language acquisition and applied linguistics community.