Proceedings of the - British Association for Applied Linguistics

Measuring L2 English Phonological Proficiency: Implications for Language Assessment
Evelina Galaczi, Brechtje Post, Aike Li and Calbert Graham
Figure 12.3: Accented and unaccented syllables in Spanish L1 learners.
Figure 12.3 demonstrates that the Spanish learners learn to differentiate
more between unstressed and accented syllables when they become more
proficient. The B1 level learners implement this by shortening their
unstressed vowels. However, at higher levels, learners decrease the
durations of their accented syllables, which in turn reduces the vocalic
variability of their utterances.
Based on the findings of this pilot study, we can tentatively speculate that
levels of pronunciation ability can be objectively discriminated in L2
speech across a range of proficiency levels, and the rhythm metrics
investigated here seem to play a role as distinguishing features between
levels. A better understanding of the properties which characterise different
levels for pronunciation could provide valuable insights for language
assessment and make largely generic assessment criteria for pronunciation
(as seen, for example, in the CEFR 2001) explicit and more quantifiable,
and could play an important role in enhancing the reliability of raters and
the validity of the assessment overall.
References
David Abercrombie (1967). Elements of General Phonetics. Edinburgh University
Press: Edinburgh, UK.
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