Talia Isaacs
Biographic Data
| ID | 8840324 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Talia Isaacs |
| GIVEN NAMES | Talia |
| FAMILY NAME | Isaacs |
| SIGNATURE | ISAACS T |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Bristol Bristol England |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 13 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 7 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 13 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2012 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Assessing Phonology in Applied Linguistics
The assessment of second language (L2) phonology refers to the evaluation of an L2 learner's ability to produce and perceive speech sounds of the target language. Phonological assessments can be found in a range of contexts, including classroom settings, research studies, and standardized speaking tests, and, as such, have various purposes. They have experienced growing momentum in the 21st century, with key constructs underscoring their aims, su…
Le locuteur natif, sa parole et son évaluation face à la diversité du monde anglophone
Cet article explore la domination mondiale de l’anglais, les difficultés à définir une langue standard, ainsi que la persistance du concept controversé de locuteur natif dans l’enseignement et la recherche
Improving reporting quality to reduce research waste in applied linguistics
Avoidable research waste – that is, research that is unnecessary, poorly designed, or insufficiently communicated – limits the value of scholarship. Building on our earlier work, where we drew lessons from healthcare research to describe five sources of avoidable waste in applied linguistics research, this article focuses on the fifth source: quality of research reporting. Inadequate reporting limits understanding, constrains evidence-informed pr…
Researching Phonology
This entry reports on two mixed method studies in phonological research showing how the use of both quantitative and qualitative methods was essential for better understanding the complex constructs of intelligibility and comprehensibility, broadly defined as listeners' perceptions of how easily they understand second language (L2) English speech. Study 1 examined whether intelligibility is an adequate goal and appropriate criterion for assessing…
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…
A comparison of the effects of extensive and intensive reading approaches on the vocabulary development of Korean secondary EFL learners
Although language experts have long advocated the use of Extensive Reading (ER) to enhance vocabulary acquisition, the widespread use of the more traditional Intensive Reading (IR) approach prevails in English as Foreign Language (EFL) settings. Many experimental studies have attempted to demonstrate the benefits of using ER over IR in classroom contexts; however, none have demonstrated significant differences in learning gains. This quasi-experi…
Second language speech production
The current project aimed to investigate the potentially different linguistic correlates of comprehensibility (i.e., ease of understanding) and accentedness (i.e., linguistic nativelikeness) in adult second language (L2) learners’ extemporaneous speech production. Timed picture descriptions from 120 beginner, intermediate, and advanced Japanese learners of English were analyzed using native speaker global judgments based on learners’ comprehensib…
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…
Rater Experience, Rating Scale Length, and Judgments of L2 Pronunciation
This mixed-methods study examines the effects of rating scale length and rater experience on listeners' judgments of second-language (L2) speech. Twenty experienced and 20 novice raters, who were randomly assigned to 5-point or 9-point rating scale conditions, judged speech samples of 38 newcomers to Canada on numerical rating scales for comprehensibility, accentedness, and fluency. Results yielded high Cronbach's alpha coefficients and no group …
Phonology
A growing number of researchers in the area of second language phonology have employed a mixed methods approach to better understand the research problem and to strengthen the quality of their inferences or interpretations (e.g., Zielinski, 2008; Derwing & Munro, 2009). However, not all published mixed methods phonological studies are explicitly labeled as “mixed methods,“ which may make them difficult to locate in tables of contents or online se…
Disentangling accent from comprehensibility
The goal of this study was to determine which linguistic aspects of second language speech are related to accent and which to comprehensibility. To address this goal, 19 different speech measures in the oral productions of 40 native French speakers of English were examined in relation to accent and comprehensibility, as rated by 60 novice raters and three experienced teachers. Results showed that both constructs were associated with many speech m…
Deconstructing Comprehensibility
Comprehensibility, a major concept in second language (L2) pronunciation research that denotes listeners’ perceptions of how easily they understand L2 speech, is central to interlocutors’ communicative success in real-world contexts. Although comprehensibility has been modeled in several L2 oral proficiency scales—for example, the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS)—shortcomin…
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…
Phonology
A growing number of researchers in the area of second language phonology have employed a mixed methods approach to better understand the research problem and to strengthen the quality of their inferences or interpretations (e.g., Zielinski, 2008; Derwing & Munro, 2009). However, not all published mixed methods phonological studies are explicitly labeled as “mixed methods,“ which may make them difficult to locate in tables of contents or online se…
Disentangling accent from comprehensibility
The goal of this study was to determine which linguistic aspects of second language speech are related to accent and which to comprehensibility. To address this goal, 19 different speech measures in the oral productions of 40 native French speakers of English were examined in relation to accent and comprehensibility, as rated by 60 novice raters and three experienced teachers. Results showed that both constructs were associated with many speech m…
Deconstructing Comprehensibility
Comprehensibility, a major concept in second language (L2) pronunciation research that denotes listeners’ perceptions of how easily they understand L2 speech, is central to interlocutors’ communicative success in real-world contexts. Although comprehensibility has been modeled in several L2 oral proficiency scales—for example, the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS)—shortcomin…
Rater Experience, Rating Scale Length, and Judgments of L2 Pronunciation
This mixed-methods study examines the effects of rating scale length and rater experience on listeners' judgments of second-language (L2) speech. Twenty experienced and 20 novice raters, who were randomly assigned to 5-point or 9-point rating scale conditions, judged speech samples of 38 newcomers to Canada on numerical rating scales for comprehensibility, accentedness, and fluency. Results yielded high Cronbach's alpha coefficients and no group …
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…
Second language speech production
The current project aimed to investigate the potentially different linguistic correlates of comprehensibility (i.e., ease of understanding) and accentedness (i.e., linguistic nativelikeness) in adult second language (L2) learners’ extemporaneous speech production. Timed picture descriptions from 120 beginner, intermediate, and advanced Japanese learners of English were analyzed using native speaker global judgments based on learners’ comprehensib…
A comparison of the effects of extensive and intensive reading approaches on the vocabulary development of Korean secondary EFL learners
Although language experts have long advocated the use of Extensive Reading (ER) to enhance vocabulary acquisition, the widespread use of the more traditional Intensive Reading (IR) approach prevails in English as Foreign Language (EFL) settings. Many experimental studies have attempted to demonstrate the benefits of using ER over IR in classroom contexts; however, none have demonstrated significant differences in learning gains. This quasi-experi…
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…
Researching Phonology
This entry reports on two mixed method studies in phonological research showing how the use of both quantitative and qualitative methods was essential for better understanding the complex constructs of intelligibility and comprehensibility, broadly defined as listeners' perceptions of how easily they understand second language (L2) English speech. Study 1 examined whether intelligibility is an adequate goal and appropriate criterion for assessing…
Assessing Phonology in Applied Linguistics
The assessment of second language (L2) phonology refers to the evaluation of an L2 learner's ability to produce and perceive speech sounds of the target language. Phonological assessments can be found in a range of contexts, including classroom settings, research studies, and standardized speaking tests, and, as such, have various purposes. They have experienced growing momentum in the 21st century, with key constructs underscoring their aims, su…
Le locuteur natif, sa parole et son évaluation face à la diversité du monde anglophone
Cet article explore la domination mondiale de l’anglais, les difficultés à définir une langue standard, ainsi que la persistance du concept controversé de locuteur natif dans l’enseignement et la recherche
Improving reporting quality to reduce research waste in applied linguistics
Avoidable research waste – that is, research that is unnecessary, poorly designed, or insufficiently communicated – limits the value of scholarship. Building on our earlier work, where we drew lessons from healthcare research to describe five sources of avoidable waste in applied linguistics research, this article focuses on the fifth source: quality of research reporting. Inadequate reporting limits understanding, constrains evidence-informed pr…
Linguistics (10 works) · Psychology (10 works) · Phonetics and Phonology Research (8 works) · Pronunciation (7 works) · Second Language Acquisition and Learning (6 works) · EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning (5 works) · Phonology (5 works) · Computer Science (4 works) · Fluency (4 works) · Mathematics education (4 works)