The effect of prompt accent on elicited imitation assessments in English as a second language

Elicited imitation (EI) assessments have been shown to discriminate well between speakers across proficiency levels, but little has been reported on the effect L2 accent has on test-takers’ ability to understand and process the test items they hear. Furthermore, no study has investigated the effect of accent on test-taker perceptions of EI tests. This study examined the relationships among accent, accent familiarity, EI test item difficulty and test scores. To investigate, self-reports of students’ exposure to different varieties of English were obtained from a pre-assessment survey. An EI test (63 items) was then administered in which English language learners (n = 213) in the United States listened to test items in three varieties of English: American English, Australian English, and British English. A Rasch analysis found that the test had high reliability (person separation = .94), with intended item level and accent both having a significant effect on test item difficulty. Survey results indicated a moderate relationship between an examinee’s familiarity with a particular accent and their person ability estimate measures. These findings suggest that prompt accent should be considered in EI test development

Developmental psychology · Imitation · Linguistics · Perception · Rasch model · Hearing Impairment and Communication · Linguistic Variation and Morphology · Phonetics and Phonology Research · Psychology · Social Psychology

• Talking Proper

  Lynda Mugglestone•Talking Proper•2007

  Añadir item

• The Weckud Wetch of the Wast

  Open Access•Jessica Maye, Richard N Aslin et al.•Cognitive Science•2008

  Añadir item

• Accent, Intelligibility, and Comprehensibility

  Open Access•Tracey M Derwing, Murray J Munro•Studies in Second Language…•1997

  Añadir item

• Rapid adaptation to foreign-accented English

  Constance M Clarke, Merrill F Garrett•The Journal of the Acoustical…•2004

  Añadir item

• From One to Multiple Accents on a Test of L2 Listening Comprehension

  Gary J Ockey, Robert French et al.•Applied Linguistics•2016

  Añadir item

• A psycholinguistic approach to oral language assessment

  Open Access•Alistair Van Moere•Language Testing•2012

  Añadir item

• Elicited imitation

  Open Access•Thora Vinther•International Journal of Applied…•2002

  Añadir item

• Putting accent in its place

  Open Access•Tracey M Derwing, Murray J Munro•Language Teaching•2009

  Añadir item

• The Effects of Nonnative Accents on Listening Comprehension

  Roy C Major, Susan F Fitzmaurice et al.•TESOL Quarterly•2002

  Añadir item

• The Role of Task and Listener Characteristics in Second Language Listening

  Open Access•Tineke Brunfaut, Andrea Révész•TESOL Quarterly•2015

  Añadir item

• The Effects of International Accents and Shared First Language on Listening Comprehension Tests

  Open Access•Okim Kang, Ron I Thomson et al.•TESOL Quarterly•2019

  Añadir item

• Processing Time, Accent, and Comprehensibility in the Perception of Native and Foreign-Accented Speech

  Open Access•Murray J Munro, Tracey M Derwing•Language and Speech•1995

  Añadir item

• Exploring Proficiency‐Based vs. Performance‐Based Items With Elicited Imitation Assessment

  Open Access•Troy L Cox, Jennifer Bown et al.•Foreign Language Annals•2015

  Añadir item

• The Relationship Between Native Speaker Judgments of Nonnative Pronunciation and Deviance in Segmentais, Prosody, and Syllable Structure

  Open Access•Janet Anderson‐hsieh, Ruth Johnson et al.•Language Learning•1992

  Añadir item

• The Effect of Foreign Accent and Speaking Rate on Native Speaker Comprehension

  Open Access•Janet Anderson‐hsieh, Kenneth Koehler et al.•Language Learning•1988

  Añadir item

• The Effect of Familiarity on the Comprehensibility of Nonnative Speech

  Open Access•Susan Ga, Susan M Ga et al.•Language Learning•1984

  Añadir item

• Foreign Accent, Comprehensibility, and Intelligibility in the Speech of Second Language Learners

  Open Access•Murray J Munro, Tracey M Derwing•Language Learning•1995

  Añadir item

• Testing the Effects of Regional, Ethnic, and International Dialects of English on Listening Comprehension

  Open Access•Roy C Major, Susan Fitzmaurice et al.•Language Learning•2005

  Añadir item