Variable effects of speakers’ visual cues and accent on L2 listening comprehension: A mixed-methods approach

Few studies have explored the influence of a speaker’s accent and visual (facial and gestural) cues on second-language (L2) listening comprehension. The current mixed-methods between-groups design investigated: (1) the effects of accent and visual cues on Arab students’ comprehension of recorded lectures delivered by two speakers: first language (L1) American English and second language (L2) English (strong Vietnamese accent), (2) students’ assessments of the comprehensibility and English nativelikeness of the accents, and (3) students’ perceptions of and preferences for visual cues in communication. A total of 120 Arab university students were distributed across three stimulus conditions: auditory-visual (AV)-gesture-face, AV-face, and A-only within two accent conditions (L1, L2 English). Materials included: a listening comprehension task, 9-point rating scales for comprehensibility and nativelikeness of accent, and a speaker’s accent and visual cues (SAVC) questionnaire. ANCOVAs were conducted on listening comprehension scores and the ratings, with students’ listening proficiency as the covariate. Students with higher listening proficiency received higher comprehension scores and tended to recognize the L1 English accent as nativelike; however, proficiency was not significantly related to their comprehensibility ratings of either accent. The L1 English speaker’s gestures were associated with higher comprehensibility ratings; the L2 English speaker’s gestures were associated with a stronger nonnativelike accent, which students found frustrating to comprehend. Although SAVC responses revealed a general preference for facial cues and gestures in daily communication, the L2 English speaker’s gestures in the study were not considered helpful. Thematic analysis of interviews emphasized: (1) the variable effectiveness of visual cues, (2) the important role of topic and accent familiarity, (3) the relationship between listening proficiency and interlocutor/instructor preference, and (4) strategies to deal with unfamiliar accents. Pedagogical implications include increased awareness of variability in visual cues across speakers and the need to build familiarity with various accents and gesture patterns.