L2 Spoken Discourse: Linguistic Features and Analyses

This book integrates theoretical and practical perspectives on computer-assisted analysis of spoken discourse, reflecting recent important developments in speech analysis for language teaching and assessment. Bringing together into one volume the methods and approaches for analysis of speech properties and spoken discourse, Ghanem, Kang, and Kostromitina illustrate the importance of adaptive learning technologies in analyzing speech.

The book offers a comprehensive go-to resource for the description of various features in second language (L2) spoken discourse as well as a guide for ways in which they can be extracted and analyzed. The text aims to accomplish its goal by providing an overview of linguistic features found in L2 acquisition, clarifying evidence-based constructs in L2 speech, and applying various analyses to suggestions for practice. This book brings together various strands of research and application with an emphasis on analysis of speech properties, which can be a gate-keeping function of speech. In particular, its innovative approach lies with the introduction of segmental, suprasegmental, lexico-grammatical, and pragmatic features in the analysis of L2 speech. This approach offers a more comprehensive view of L2 spoken discourse which can be extremely beneficial for L2 research and pedagogy.

Covering the speech of both native and non-native speakers, but with particular relevance for second language acquisition, this book is essential reading for graduate students, teachers, and researchers in applied linguistics, TESOL, and other speech-science related fields.

Romy Ghanem serves as the Senior Researcher and Curriculum Director of the International Interfaith Research Lab at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her research areas include second language (L2) pronunciation, linguistic and reverse linguistic stereotyping, language profiling, and L2 speaker accentedness.

Okim Kang is Professor of Applied Linguistics and Director of the Applied Linguistics Speech Lab at Northern Arizona University. Her research interests are speech perception/production, language social psychology/attitudes, L2 pronunciation/intelligibility, L2 oral assessment/testing, and automated scoring/speech recognition.

Maria (Masha) Kostromitina received her Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics from Northern Arizona University. Her research interests lie in the intersection of second language prosody and pragmatics. Specifically, Masha investigates the effectiveness of pragma–prosodic training in improving learners’ use of prosody in speech acts and the role of cognitive individual differences in prosody acquisition.