Exploring the effects of instruction on L2 French learner pronunciation, accentedness, comprehensibility, and fluency

This study investigates the effects of a 16-week course on the development of second language French pronunciation. The course targeted segmental and suprasegmental features and fluency development, and was administered entirely online. Pre- and post-test tasks (i.e., picture narration, reading-aloud, and conversation simulation) were used to analyze learners’ pronunciation development in terms of segmental errors, connected speech (use of liaisons and enchaînements), and fluency (including pauses and mean length of run). Participants’ accentedness, comprehensibility, and fluency were also judged by five native listeners. Findings revealed a significant decrease in segmental errors and unfilled pause frequency in all the tasks, and improvement in fluency in the reading and conversation tasks. Results also showed a positive trend but no significant improvement in the use of liaisons and enchaînements. There was, however, no significant improvement in the measures of listeners’ ratings. The results are discussed in light of previous research on pronunciation instruction.