Kazuya Saito
Biographic Data
| ID | 3991601 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Kazuya Saito |
| GIVEN NAMES | Kazuya |
| FAMILY NAME | Saito |
| SIGNATURE | SAITO K |
| AFFILIATIONS | Birkbeck, University of London |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-4172-0816 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 17 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 69 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 17 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2011 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
Strong primary cue weighting is linked to robust dimension-selective attention
Speech perception is supported by multiple redundant acoustic cues. How do listeners prioritize these cues? Although computational models suggest that cue weighting reflects the statistical reliability of cues in language input, listeners show stable individual differences in weighting strategies. These differences may arise from variation in perceptual acuity (affecting the perceived reliability of specific dimensions) or from selective attentio…
The neural correlates of mid- and end-clause silent pauses in L1 and L2 speech
This study examined how the location of silent pausing (mid- vs. end-clause) may relate to neural processes during spontaneous L1 and L2 speech production. Twenty intermediate-level Japanese speakers of L2 English carried out eight monologic, oral decision-making tasks, four in English and four in Japanese. While completing the tasks, their brain activity was recorded through fMRI scanning. Participants’ speech was transcribed, and the resulting …
Individual differences in perception of prosody in Mandarin-accented speech are linked to pitch perception, melody memory, musical training, and neural encoding of sound
There are large differences across individuals in the ability to perceive foreign-accented speech, and the sources of this variability are poorly understood. Here we tested the hypothesis that individual differences in auditory processing help drive variability in accented speech perception. We asked L1 English speakers to perceive prosodic features in Mandarin-accented English. Individuals who could precisely discriminate pitch and accurately re…
How does having a good ear promote successful second language speech acquisition in adulthood? Introducing Auditory Precision Hypothesis-L2
In this paper, I first provide a brief review of how scholars have conceptualized, tested, and elaborated aptitude frameworks relevant to second language (L2) speech learning. Subsequently, I introduce an emerging paradigm that assigns a fundamental role to domain-general auditory processing (i.e., having a good ear) in L1 speech acquisition and proposes that the same faculty acts as a cornerstone of L2 speech learning (i.e., the Auditory Precisi…
Auditory precision hypothesis-L2
Growing evidence suggests a broad relationship between individual differences in auditory processing ability and the rate and ultimate attainment of language acquisition throughout the lifespan, including post-pubertal second language (L2) speech learning. However, little is known about how the precision of processing of specific auditory dimensions relates to the acquisition of specific L2 segmental contrasts. In the context of 100 late Japanese…
Developing, Analyzing and Sharing Multivariate Datasets
Following the trends established in psychology and emerging in L2 research, we explain our support for an Open Science approach in this paper (i.e., developing, analyzing and sharing datasets) as a way to answer controversial and complex questions in applied linguistics. We illustrate this with a focus on a frequently debated question, what underlies individual differences in the dynamic system of post-pubertal L2 speech learning? We provide a de…
Lexical aspects of comprehensibility and nativeness from the perspective of native-speaking English raters
This study analyzed the contribution of lexical factors to native-speaking raters’ assessments of comprehensibility and nativeness in second language (L2) speech. Using transcribed samples to reduce non-lexical sources of bias, 10 naïve L1 English raters evaluated speech samples from 97 L2 English learners across two tasks (picture description and TOEFL integrated). Subsequently, the 194 transcripts were analyzed through statistical software (e.g…
The relationship between multilingual raters’ language background and their perceptions of accentedness and comprehensibility of second language speech
The purpose of this case study is twofold: it (1) explores multilingual raters’ judgements regarding the accentedness and comprehensibility of second language speech and (2) examines how the raters’ language backgrounds influence their judgements. In this study, six multilingual Singaporean raters judged the accentedness and comprehensibility of 50 unfamiliar accented speech samples produced by Japanese learners of English with different proficie…
Video-Based Interaction, Negotiation for Comprehensibility, and Second Language Speech Learning
This study examined the impact of video-based conversational interaction on the longitudinal development (one academic semester) of second language production by college-level Japanese English-as-a-foreign-language learners. Students in the experimental group engaged in weekly dyadic conversation exchanges with native speakers in the United States via telecommunication tools. The native speaker interlocutors were trained to provide interactional …
Foreign accentedness revisited
The current study examined how two groups of native speakers – monolingual Canadians and multilingual Singaporeans – differentially perceive foreign accentedness in spontaneous second language (L2) speech. The Singaporean raters, who had exposure to various models of English and also spoke multiple L2s on a daily basis, demonstrated more lenient accent scores than the Canadian raters, who used North American English as their primary language of c…
Do Native Speakers of North American and Singapore English Differentially Perceive Comprehensibility in Second Language Speech
The current study examined the extent to which native speakers of North American and Singapore English differentially perceive the comprehensibility (ease of understanding) of second language (L2) speech. Spontaneous speech samples elicited from 50 Japanese learners of English with various proficiency levels were first rated by 10 Canadian and 10 Singaporean raters for overall comprehensibility and then submitted to pronunciation, fluency, vocabu…
Using Listener Judgments to Investigate Linguistic Influences on L2 Comprehensibility and Accentedness
The current study investigated linguistic influences on comprehensibility (ease of understanding) and accentedness (linguistic nativelikeness) in second language (L2) learners’ extemporaneous speech. Target materials included picture narratives from 40 native French speakers of English from different proficiency levels. The narratives were subsequently rated by 20 native speakers with or without linguistic and pedagogical experience for comprehen…
Second Language Comprehensibility Revisited
The current study investigated first language (L1) effects on listener judgment of comprehensibility and accentedness in second language (L2) speech. The participants were 45 university‐level adult speakers of English from three L1 backgrounds (Chinese, Hindi, Farsi), performing a picture narrative task. Ten native English listeners used continuous sliding scales to evaluate the speakers' audio recordings for comprehensibility and accentedness as…
Oral corrective feedback in second language classrooms
This article reviews research on oral corrective feedback (CF) in second language (L2) classrooms. Various types of oral CF are first identified, and the results of research revealing CF frequency across instructional contexts are presented. Research on CF preferences is then reviewed, revealing a tendency for learners to prefer receiving CF more than teachers feel they should provide it. Next, theoretical perspectives in support of CF are presen…
Pronunciation-specific adjustment strategies for intelligibility in L2 teacher talk
A questionnaire study was conducted to examine how 120 highly experienced EFL (English as a foreign language) teachers in Japan adjust their pronunciation in order to facilitate and refine their students' learning skills to approach mutual intelligibility in second language (L2) classrooms (i.e. pronunciation-specific teacher talk). The results of this questionnaire study exhibits that the majority of these teachers reported their conscious and/o…
Effects of Instruction on L2 Pronunciation Development
(* denotes studies included in the current analyses)
Examining the role of explicit phonetic instruction in native-like and comprehensible pronunciation development
This paper reports on an instructed second language acquisition study that investigated the effects of explicit phonetic instruction on second language pronunciation by adopting two different outcome measurements (i.e. a rubric of accentedness as well as comprehensibility). Twenty native Japanese learners of English in ESL (English as a second language) settings participated in the current study and were randomly assigned to the experimental grou…
Oral corrective feedback in second language classrooms
This article reviews research on oral corrective feedback (CF) in second language (L2) classrooms. Various types of oral CF are first identified, and the results of research revealing CF frequency across instructional contexts are presented. Research on CF preferences is then reviewed, revealing a tendency for learners to prefer receiving CF more than teachers feel they should provide it. Next, theoretical perspectives in support of CF are presen…
Effects of Instruction on L2 Pronunciation Development
(* denotes studies included in the current analyses)
Do Native Speakers of North American and Singapore English Differentially Perceive Comprehensibility in Second Language Speech
The current study examined the extent to which native speakers of North American and Singapore English differentially perceive the comprehensibility (ease of understanding) of second language (L2) speech. Spontaneous speech samples elicited from 50 Japanese learners of English with various proficiency levels were first rated by 10 Canadian and 10 Singaporean raters for overall comprehensibility and then submitted to pronunciation, fluency, vocabu…
Second Language Comprehensibility Revisited
The current study investigated first language (L1) effects on listener judgment of comprehensibility and accentedness in second language (L2) speech. The participants were 45 university‐level adult speakers of English from three L1 backgrounds (Chinese, Hindi, Farsi), performing a picture narrative task. Ten native English listeners used continuous sliding scales to evaluate the speakers' audio recordings for comprehensibility and accentedness as…
Video-Based Interaction, Negotiation for Comprehensibility, and Second Language Speech Learning
This study examined the impact of video-based conversational interaction on the longitudinal development (one academic semester) of second language production by college-level Japanese English-as-a-foreign-language learners. Students in the experimental group engaged in weekly dyadic conversation exchanges with native speakers in the United States via telecommunication tools. The native speaker interlocutors were trained to provide interactional …
How does having a good ear promote successful second language speech acquisition in adulthood? Introducing Auditory Precision Hypothesis-L2
In this paper, I first provide a brief review of how scholars have conceptualized, tested, and elaborated aptitude frameworks relevant to second language (L2) speech learning. Subsequently, I introduce an emerging paradigm that assigns a fundamental role to domain-general auditory processing (i.e., having a good ear) in L1 speech acquisition and proposes that the same faculty acts as a cornerstone of L2 speech learning (i.e., the Auditory Precisi…
Examining the role of explicit phonetic instruction in native-like and comprehensible pronunciation development
This paper reports on an instructed second language acquisition study that investigated the effects of explicit phonetic instruction on second language pronunciation by adopting two different outcome measurements (i.e. a rubric of accentedness as well as comprehensibility). Twenty native Japanese learners of English in ESL (English as a second language) settings participated in the current study and were randomly assigned to the experimental grou…
Pronunciation-specific adjustment strategies for intelligibility in L2 teacher talk
A questionnaire study was conducted to examine how 120 highly experienced EFL (English as a foreign language) teachers in Japan adjust their pronunciation in order to facilitate and refine their students' learning skills to approach mutual intelligibility in second language (L2) classrooms (i.e. pronunciation-specific teacher talk). The results of this questionnaire study exhibits that the majority of these teachers reported their conscious and/o…
Effects of Instruction on L2 Pronunciation Development
(* denotes studies included in the current analyses)
Oral corrective feedback in second language classrooms
This article reviews research on oral corrective feedback (CF) in second language (L2) classrooms. Various types of oral CF are first identified, and the results of research revealing CF frequency across instructional contexts are presented. Research on CF preferences is then reviewed, revealing a tendency for learners to prefer receiving CF more than teachers feel they should provide it. Next, theoretical perspectives in support of CF are presen…
Using Listener Judgments to Investigate Linguistic Influences on L2 Comprehensibility and Accentedness
The current study investigated linguistic influences on comprehensibility (ease of understanding) and accentedness (linguistic nativelikeness) in second language (L2) learners’ extemporaneous speech. Target materials included picture narratives from 40 native French speakers of English from different proficiency levels. The narratives were subsequently rated by 20 native speakers with or without linguistic and pedagogical experience for comprehen…
Second Language Comprehensibility Revisited
The current study investigated first language (L1) effects on listener judgment of comprehensibility and accentedness in second language (L2) speech. The participants were 45 university‐level adult speakers of English from three L1 backgrounds (Chinese, Hindi, Farsi), performing a picture narrative task. Ten native English listeners used continuous sliding scales to evaluate the speakers' audio recordings for comprehensibility and accentedness as…
Foreign accentedness revisited
The current study examined how two groups of native speakers – monolingual Canadians and multilingual Singaporeans – differentially perceive foreign accentedness in spontaneous second language (L2) speech. The Singaporean raters, who had exposure to various models of English and also spoke multiple L2s on a daily basis, demonstrated more lenient accent scores than the Canadian raters, who used North American English as their primary language of c…
Do Native Speakers of North American and Singapore English Differentially Perceive Comprehensibility in Second Language Speech
The current study examined the extent to which native speakers of North American and Singapore English differentially perceive the comprehensibility (ease of understanding) of second language (L2) speech. Spontaneous speech samples elicited from 50 Japanese learners of English with various proficiency levels were first rated by 10 Canadian and 10 Singaporean raters for overall comprehensibility and then submitted to pronunciation, fluency, vocabu…
Video-Based Interaction, Negotiation for Comprehensibility, and Second Language Speech Learning
This study examined the impact of video-based conversational interaction on the longitudinal development (one academic semester) of second language production by college-level Japanese English-as-a-foreign-language learners. Students in the experimental group engaged in weekly dyadic conversation exchanges with native speakers in the United States via telecommunication tools. The native speaker interlocutors were trained to provide interactional …
Lexical aspects of comprehensibility and nativeness from the perspective of native-speaking English raters
This study analyzed the contribution of lexical factors to native-speaking raters’ assessments of comprehensibility and nativeness in second language (L2) speech. Using transcribed samples to reduce non-lexical sources of bias, 10 naïve L1 English raters evaluated speech samples from 97 L2 English learners across two tasks (picture description and TOEFL integrated). Subsequently, the 194 transcripts were analyzed through statistical software (e.g…
The relationship between multilingual raters’ language background and their perceptions of accentedness and comprehensibility of second language speech
The purpose of this case study is twofold: it (1) explores multilingual raters’ judgements regarding the accentedness and comprehensibility of second language speech and (2) examines how the raters’ language backgrounds influence their judgements. In this study, six multilingual Singaporean raters judged the accentedness and comprehensibility of 50 unfamiliar accented speech samples produced by Japanese learners of English with different proficie…
Developing, Analyzing and Sharing Multivariate Datasets
Following the trends established in psychology and emerging in L2 research, we explain our support for an Open Science approach in this paper (i.e., developing, analyzing and sharing datasets) as a way to answer controversial and complex questions in applied linguistics. We illustrate this with a focus on a frequently debated question, what underlies individual differences in the dynamic system of post-pubertal L2 speech learning? We provide a de…
Auditory precision hypothesis-L2
Growing evidence suggests a broad relationship between individual differences in auditory processing ability and the rate and ultimate attainment of language acquisition throughout the lifespan, including post-pubertal second language (L2) speech learning. However, little is known about how the precision of processing of specific auditory dimensions relates to the acquisition of specific L2 segmental contrasts. In the context of 100 late Japanese…
How does having a good ear promote successful second language speech acquisition in adulthood? Introducing Auditory Precision Hypothesis-L2
In this paper, I first provide a brief review of how scholars have conceptualized, tested, and elaborated aptitude frameworks relevant to second language (L2) speech learning. Subsequently, I introduce an emerging paradigm that assigns a fundamental role to domain-general auditory processing (i.e., having a good ear) in L1 speech acquisition and proposes that the same faculty acts as a cornerstone of L2 speech learning (i.e., the Auditory Precisi…
Strong primary cue weighting is linked to robust dimension-selective attention
Speech perception is supported by multiple redundant acoustic cues. How do listeners prioritize these cues? Although computational models suggest that cue weighting reflects the statistical reliability of cues in language input, listeners show stable individual differences in weighting strategies. These differences may arise from variation in perceptual acuity (affecting the perceived reliability of specific dimensions) or from selective attentio…
The neural correlates of mid- and end-clause silent pauses in L1 and L2 speech
This study examined how the location of silent pausing (mid- vs. end-clause) may relate to neural processes during spontaneous L1 and L2 speech production. Twenty intermediate-level Japanese speakers of L2 English carried out eight monologic, oral decision-making tasks, four in English and four in Japanese. While completing the tasks, their brain activity was recorded through fMRI scanning. Participants’ speech was transcribed, and the resulting …
Individual differences in perception of prosody in Mandarin-accented speech are linked to pitch perception, melody memory, musical training, and neural encoding of sound
There are large differences across individuals in the ability to perceive foreign-accented speech, and the sources of this variability are poorly understood. Here we tested the hypothesis that individual differences in auditory processing help drive variability in accented speech perception. We asked L1 English speakers to perceive prosodic features in Mandarin-accented English. Individuals who could precisely discriminate pitch and accurately re…
Phonetics and Phonology Research (14 works) · Psychology (14 works) · Linguistics (11 works) · EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning (8 works) · Mathematics education (7 works) · Pronunciation (7 works) · Second Language Acquisition and Learning (7 works) · Fluency (5 works) · Perception (5 works) · Computer Science (4 works)