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One of the difficulties in teaching Turkish, which is a phonetically rich language, to foreigners, is that similar sounds are often confused with each other. Since even a single punctuation mark is crucial for writing and reading Turkish letters (i-i, o-ö, u-ü, c-ç, g-g, s-s, etc.), students who use the Arabic alphabet have great difficulty writing and pronouncing Turkish words correctly. The difficulties that foreigners have in spelling vowels (i-i, o-ö, u-ü) and consonants (c-ç, g-g, m-n, s-s) when learning Turkish also have a negative impact on their writing and speaking skills. Especially in essay writing classes, students often misspell words, which makes it necessary to determine and implement more effective strategies in alphabet lessons. When teaching the Turkish alphabet, it is of great importance that the teacher uses "onomatopoeia," which is considered an important feature of Turkish, to overcome this problem. In this study, the effect of onomatopoeia, the word corresponding to sounds in nature, on writing skills in Turkish classes for foreigners was investigated. This study, taken from a class of nine students at the Afyon Kocatepe University Turkish Language Teaching Centre at A1 level in the semesters of 2013-2014, was based on the analysis of three essays written by the students before and after studying onomatopoeia. The analysis of the data revealed that teaching the alphabet with onomatopoeic words was effective for the students in terms of the letters whose spellings were confused with each other and made a significant contribution to the writing skills of foreigners.

This study examines the barriers and facilitators to integrating ICT in teaching and learning English pronunciation among university lecturers and students. Three female lecturers from a Jordanian government university's Department of Pharmacy, with teaching experience spanning 3 to 10 years, participated, along with six focus groups of male and female students aged 20 to 23 from the Faculty of Pharmacy. Thematic analysis uncovered barriers such as limited ICT access, inadequate training, large class sizes, time constraints, and students' negative attitudes and low ICT skills, alongside facilitators including leadership support, ICT tool accessibility, basic training for students, and consistent ICT integration in assessment and curriculum. Students advocated for lecturer support, mobile device integration, ICT training, smaller class sizes, consistent ICT tool integration, tool accessibility, and specialized pronunciation courses. This study offers fresh insights into understanding perceptions of ICT adoption barriers and facilitators among university lecturers and students, benefiting researchers and policymakers focusing on teacher professional development to enhance ICT integration in English pronunciation teaching and learning at the tertiary level.

The Khotons, in the west of Mongolia, were originally Turkic people who spoke the Khoton language, until the 19th century, which is currently considered extinct. This study aimed to prove that the Khoton language belonged to the Turkic languages; and to standardize the Swadesh inventory in relation to the Khoton words. The Swadesh inventory of words was the primary source of this research, which was sampled to examine the basic characteristics like semantic (meaning) acoustic (sound-based), pronunciation and spellings. This study adopted a comparative-historical research design with a qualitative approach, which involved an in-depth content analysis of the data. A data classification process was used to analyze the data by dividing them into categories (3-tiers) to enable retrieving, sorting and storing information. The Swadesh list of words also acted as the instrument of the study as this list was used to target the Khoton vocabulary and determine their equivalence. Such a data classification also helped to manipulate, track and analyze individual specimens in data. The findings of the study reveal that a majority of the linguistic combinations (lexemes) sampled for this study were found in the Khoton language, fully corresponding to the meaning of the English words in the Swadesh list. It was also evident that the basic vocabulary of the Khoton language had the elements of a Turkic language; and that there was an opportunity to reproduce the Khoton language. It is recommended that future studies should examine other versions of Swadesh inventory and compare them with the words in Turkic languages.

This study was conducted with Zhuang and Miao students and Mandarin teachers in grades four to six in four township elementary schools in Dehou Township, Wenshan City, Yunnan Province. The purposes of this study were:1) to study the influences of the native language that affect Zhuang and Miao students when they learn Mandarin,2) to study teachers' opinions about their students' native language affects their learning when teaching Mandarin to Zhuang and Miao students. Based on Krejcie and Morgan's table, 186 students for questionnaires and 14 teachers were selected for interviews. The study is a mixed method of quantitative and qualitative research, which was statistically analyzed using percentages, means (X), standard deviation (S.D.), and narrative analysis by coding the interview information. The research instruments were questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The results revealed that 1) the influences of the native language that affect Zhuang and Miao students when they learn Mandarin consisted of four aspects: (1) social context, (2) learner characteristics, (3) learning conditions, and (4) learning process: Social Context was high level (X)=2.70 and S.D=0.36; Learner Characteristics was moderate level (X)=2.43 and S.D=0.35; Learning Conditions was moderate level (X)=2.46 and S.D=0.2936; Learning Process was high level (X)=2.51 and S.D=0.30. All four aspects had a high level (X)=2.52 and S.D=0.33; on Zhuang and Miao students' Mandarin learning, and 2) teachers' opinions about their students' native language affect their learning when teaching Mandarin to Zhuang and Miao students. It showed that Zhuang and Miao's students had difficulty pronouncing Mandarin when they learned it because of the influence of their language; the difference between Mandarin and the expression habits of the ethnic language also affects the learning of Mandarin by Zhuang and Miao students. This study suggests that the study should emphasize the creation of a Mandarin language environment for Zhuang and Miao students, enhance students' interest in learning Mandarin, improve the conditions for learning Mandarin, and innovate teaching methods.

The current study aimed to gain insight into the nuanced challenges that Vietnamese learners encountered due to the interference of their native linguistic structures and norms. This qualitative study explored the experiences of Vietnamese learners in acquiring English, focusing on the influence of negative L1 transfer. This study focused on the influence of negative transfer from their first language (L1) by drawing upon in-depth interviews and observational data from a group of Vietnamese university students. The results showed that despite exhibiting high levels of motivation and enthusiasm for learning English, Vietnamese learners struggled with the shadows of L1 interference in areas such as pronunciation, syntax, and idiomatic expressions. The tonal nature of the Vietnamese language led to intonation patterns in English that deviated from native norms. Direct translations also contributed to unidiomatic English, indicating a deep influence of L1 thought patterns. Additionally, cultural contexts embedded within the Vietnamese language presented challenges, as some concepts and expressions lacked direct English equivalents. Although students faced various obstacles, they utilized a variety of adaptive techniques to lessen the impact of negative transfer. These techniques included code-switching, peer correction, and self-reflection. The study emphasized the significance of recognizing and comprehending the significant role of L1 when creating English language educational programs and teaching techniques for Vietnamese students. By illuminating the specific challenges and adaptive strategies of these learners, educators could personalize their approaches, leading to a more comprehensive and efficacious language-learning atmosphere.

This study aimed to investigate the impact of AI-powered Speech Recognition Technology (AISRT) in improving English pronunciation and speaking skills among EFL learners. Additionally, it explored the opinions and responses of EFL learners towards the use of this technology for pronunciation and speaking skill enhancement. The research employed a pretest/post-test design and a survey questionnaire with a multiple-choice rating scale and openended questions. The study included a sample of EFL learners who received instruction and practice using an AI-SRT program over a designated period. Data were collected through pretest and post-test assessments to measure changes in pronunciation and speaking skills. A survey questionnaire was administered to gather participants' opinions and responses regarding the program's effectiveness and their overall experience. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics to examine the central tendency, variability and distribution of pre-test and post-test scores. Comparative analysis was conducted using paired t-tests to determine the significance of the improvement in pronunciation and speaking skills. Qualitative data from the survey questionnaire were analyzed thematically to identify recurring themes and patterns in participants' opinions. The findings of this study contribute to the understanding of the impact of AI-powered speech recognition technology on EFL learners' pronunciation and speaking skills. The results reveal the effectiveness of such technology and provide valuable insights into learners' perceptions and experiences. This research has implications for language educators, curriculum designers, and developers of educational technology in designing effective pronunciation and speaking skill enhancement tools for EFL learners.

The implementation of computer-assisted pronunciation training (CAPT) has been proven to be successful in improving learners' pronunciation abilities. Automatic speech recognition (ASR) software was used to provide mediated support to 103 pre-intermediate level students (62 males and 41 females). After experiencing a two-semester of CAPT instruction in their Freshman English course, students completed a questionnaire to assess their perceptions of and attitudes towards technology. This paper reports on the findings that examine the structural relationships using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). The findings indicate that students, generally, were in favor of using ASR-based pronunciation training, and although no statistically significant gender difference was found, female students appeared to view its use more favorably than were their male counterparts. The perceived effectiveness of the system, and the attitudes of students towards using it, were shown to be significantly correlated, which encourages the ongoing use of ASR-based CAPT. Based on these responses, it was established that the ASR function enhanced students' awareness of their pronunciation errors. Furthermore, they willingly engaged in individual, repetitive pronunciation exercises, allowing them to build confidence in speaking practices without fearing embarrassment in front of their peers. Recommendations were provided for EFL educators interested in implementing CAPT in EFL settings.

This study explores the effectiveness of online Chinese language courses, focusing on the development of listening comprehension and Mandarin pinyin pronunciation skills among Chinese language students at the Faculty of Education, Uttaradit Rajabhat University. Utilizing a systematic approach, the research employed a pre-test and post-test design to evaluate the impact of the instructional methods on students' language abilities. Significant improvements were observed in both listening comprehension and pronunciation skills post-intervention, as evidenced by statistical analysis. Moreover, the study gauges students' satisfaction with the online learning experience, revealing high levels of contentment regarding course content, accessibility, and instructional delivery. The research outcomes have demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in the skills assessed. Students' scores in listening comprehension and Mandarin pinyin pronunciation substantially increased from pre-instruction to post-instruction. Specifically, the average scores in listening comprehension improved from 16.45 to 24.50, while pronunciation scores rose from 10.85 to 16.30, both evidencing significant advancements with a significance level of 0.05. These results underscore the effectiveness of the online Chinese language courses in enhancing students' linguistic capabilities.

Language reflects how people think and behave in their culture. To have successful conversations, both language use and cultural awareness should be taken into consideration. Undeniably, Japanese grammar is different from Thai making it even harder for Thai learners to have fluent and appropriate conversations in the Japanese language. In the classroom, typically teachers often focus on grammar, leaving less time for students to practice conversation. Consequently, beginner learners often miss cultural details in conversations and are unable to communicate effectively. Thus, it is important for teachers to immerse students in the Japanese culture to improve their speaking skills and cultural understanding. In so doing, Coordinated Management of Meaning (CMM) and Reader's Theater (RT) were integrated and used to aid beginners in understanding language contexts in order to help users grasp conversational contexts and interlocutors, and use scripted practices to simulate real-life scenarios. This study aims to investigate the impact of an instructional model based on CMM and RT on improving oral communication skills in Thai beginner-level Japanese learners. The study employed an experimental design with 11th-grade Japanese-major students from a secondary school in Bangkok, involving 48 classes over 16 weeks. Instruments included a Japanese oral communication skills test and video-recorded classroom observations. Descriptive statistics, the Wilcoxon signed-rank test were used to analyze quantitative data, and thematic analysis was used to analyze qualitative data. The results showed a significant improvement in post-test scores compared to pre-tests. Moreover, the model has raised students' phonetics awareness. Phonetic features like short and long sounds, pauses, and flapping received more attention. Interestingly, they adapted Japanese pronunciation for Thai or English words enhancing communication with native speakers and avoided using personal pronouns like "anata" opting to address interlocutors by name, adhering to Japanese cultural norms. This instructional model effectively improved both linguistic and cultural competences in Japanese language learners.

Fluency development is one of the prominent components of a well-balanced language course. In particular, speaking fluency interests second language (L2) researchers who have continuously tried to look for the finest approach for helping L2 learners attain a certain level of fluency to achieve effective communication. To this end, the primary purpose of this research is to explore what factors affect English-speaking fluency and what strategies can effectively boost its development among a cohort of Vietnamese university students. The participants were 142 English majors who filled out a questionnaire measuring their perceived self-efficacy concerning English-speaking fluency. Four teachers and six students joined the semi-structured interviews. Quantitative and qualitative data revealed that the most influential factors were linguistic elements, followed by performance, and affective factors. The most effective strategy for enhancing fluency was task repetition. Notably, the findings revealed a mismatch between teachers' and students' understandings of speaking fluency, which may negatively impact the achievement of fluent speech. Based on these results, pedagogical implications are discussed for English teachers and students regarding fluency development.

This study aimed at investigating the impact of story-based extracurricular tasks on enhancing the speaking skills of EFL learners. The parameters of grammar, pronunciation, vocabulary, and fluency were examined. A pre-test/post-test one shot case study design was adopted. A sample of 20 students, enrolled in the common first year program at Jouf University, Saudi Arabia, participated in the study. The results showed that learners' speaking skills improved due to the use of the story-based extracurricular tasks. Findings also showed that the highest improvement in students' speaking skills was in pronunciation, followed by vocabulary, and then, grammar. Fluency was the least improved skill. The study recommends the incorporation of story-based extracurricular tasks in EFL programs for enhancing speaking skills. Educators should choose culturally relevant stories that correspond to the learners' proficiency level. They should involve students in conversations and arguments about the stories, prompting them to examine the themes and implicit messages. This study also recommends to use other resources such as language games, quizzes, and dramatization for enhancing speaking skills of EFL learners.

The Objective of the study was to ascertain how Rosetta Stone in English class affected students' ability to pronounce English. This methodology employed a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design with 30 samples split into two groups. The technique used was non-probability sampling. Pronunciation test technique was employed for data collecting. To compare Pronunciation abilities before and after using Rosetta Stone, data analysis used a t-test. The findings demonstrated that the t-Stat statements derived from the material discussed had value. A key element of Pronunciation is the students' capacity to pronounce the words and sentences that are practiced by imitating the application. The findings of this study have significance for students' knowledge of how to pronounce the words and sentences correctly and influence their level of pronunciation. The findings demonstrated that the t-test-table value was (1,699 < 9,950 > 1,331), indicating that Rosetta Stone gave a significant effect on treatment class on students' pronunciation. This result finding recommend other researcher to use the Rosetta Stone as an alternative media used for future.c

Pronunciation is an area of language, which is easy to recognize and see. When a language learner makes an error in pronunciation, other people can identify the error easily. Mispronunciations are common errors that happen to English language learners in the Expanding Circle, in which English is a foreign language, like Indonesia. This paper deals with mispronunciations made by Indonesian language learners. The respondents were 14 Procedural Writing class students in an English Language Education Program at a private university in Indonesia. They took the course during the pandemic era. The classes were therefore done online, and each virtual class was recorded. These students were videorecorded when reading certain parts of texts in the course. The findings showed that the 14 students made some mispronunciations due to several reasons like habits of pronouncing words in Indonesian and a lack of knowledge of the ideal notion of native speakers' pronunciation. It is hoped that this paper can be useful for EFL teachers teaching pronunciation as well as for students who are still struggling with their pronunciation in their efforts to gain native-like proficiency.

There is a substantial body of studies investigating teachers' beliefs about pronunciation. However, this line of research has rarely examined teachers' beliefs as a complex system. To fill this gap, the present study aims to shed light on the genealogy of teachers' beliefs about pronunciation instruction from the perspective of complexity theory. To this end, two EFL teachers who taught English at a private institute were asked to participate in this study. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and narratives. The findings indicated that the teachers recognized the importance of pronunciation instruction for improving students' listening skills and knowledge of vocabulary and manifested aspiration for native-like pronunciation. However, their lack of self-confidence and insufficient pronunciation pedagogical knowledge base were reported to be major challenges of pronunciation instruction, which they attributed to teacher training courses among other factors. In addition, teachers' beliefs about pronunciation, learners, learning pronunciation, teaching pronunciation, teachers, and curriculum were shown to co-exist and interact in a nonlinear manner, suggesting the complex, dynamic, co-adapted, and contextual-driven nature of teachers' belief systems. In light of these findings, teacher education programs are advised to help teachers reappraise their preference for native speakerism and give pronunciation more prominence by introducing a wide range of strategies for teaching it.

The era of globalization and information and knowledge in which we find ourselves requires Higher Education to develop English-speaking proficiency in its students to adequately respond to academic and occupational challenges, taking advantage of the virtues of the variety of resources offered by technology. YouGlish is an online oral dictionary whose features can be leveraged for the development of Englishspeaking proficiency. This study aims to determine the impact of using YouGlish on English speaking proficiency in its subskills of fluency, grammatical appropriateness, pronunciation, communicative interaction, and vocabulary. The research was of quasi-experimental design and was carried out with a sample of 38 students, 19 students in the Control Group and 19 students in the Experimental Group, from a national university in Peru. For data collection, a pre-test and a post-test were applied concerning English-speaking proficiency, and a perception questionnaire on the use of YouGlish was also used. The arithmetic mean indicates that there was an improvement of 45.26 points using YouGlish when comparing the input and output tests. Thus, concluding with an increase in English-speaking proficiency among university students.

The use of phonetic symbols in language teaching classrooms, as a bottom-up approach to pronunciation instruction, has been debated. This study investigates the perspectives of Turkish instructors of English as a foreign language on their use of phonetic symbols for teaching pronunciation at tertiary-level institutions. To explore this issue, semistructured interviews were conducted with six instructors of English as a foreign language from a higher education institution. The qualitative findings reveal that while most instructors recognize the importance of phonetic symbols, they express various teacher-related and student-related concerns that lead to their avoidance and offer recommendations for improvement. The participants also emphasize the importance of teacher training, student self-monitoring as an assessment tool, and technology integration, as essential components for effective pronunciation instruction using phonetic symbols.

This mixed-method study examines Ecuadorian preservice English as a foreign language teachers' cognition regarding pronunciation models and targets, identity, and confidence. Data were gathered through a self-reported, anonymous online questionnaire. Factor analysis and Spearman's correlations were conducted on the quantitative data, and content analysis on the qualitative data. The results revealed that the participants highly value the native speaker model of pronunciation, are dissatisfied with their nonnative English pronunciation, are not interested in showing their Ecuadorian identities when speaking English, and are still not confident in their English pronunciation. The findings are discussed in light of the implications for pronunciation teachers.

This study combines qualitative and quantitative methods to explore 15 English program (EP) students' attitudes toward English varieties and how they negotiate social meanings and construct their identity through stylistic practices in classroom discourse and English as a lingua franca (ELF) interactions. Through a verbal guise test, semi-structured interviews, and auditory impression analysis, the results indicated a strong preference for native-based English varieties, with American English linguistic resources being more prevalent in the speech of EP students than those of British English. The findings revealed that in ELF talks all EP students adopted native-like speech styles, which were perceived as more socially prestigious and communicatively advantageous, to indexically construct a "proficient" English speaker identity and establish a sense of in-group global community membership. However, within EP classroom discourse, certain participants demonstrated style-shifting by the local variants of Thai-accented English to project a "Popular" identity, distancing themselves from the "Bookishness" group within the EP community of practice. The study underscores the importance of native-based norms and socially sensitive pedagogical approaches, enabling students to construct their distinct identities through L2 pronunciation while also recognizing the plurality of English varieties present in their particular linguistic landscape.

The global prevalence of English as a lingua franca (ELF) across diverse linguacultural communities within the three circles invites an in-depth analysis of its phonological and lexicogrammatical features, especially among non-native English speakers. This qualitative study investigated these features among 30 Thai students from English and nonEnglish programs, emphasizing natural occurrences in academic settings. Participants were directed to record audio and video during collaborative activities with peers and lecturers inside and outside the classroom. Through Conversation Analysis, findings revealed a significant divergence in the phonological and lexicogrammatical features of ELF participants compared to speakers of standard British English (BrE) and American English (AmE). Specifically, nonstandard lexicogrammatical features concerning verb, noun, article, word choice, tense, and preposition emerged predominantly. Furthermore, common phonological deviations included omission of final consonant sounds, mispronunciation of the schwa sound, confusion in pronouncing the article 'the,' mispronunciation of words ending with '-ine,' and substitution of /[open-mid back unrounded vowel]/ with /[open-mid back rounded vowel]/. The data suggests widespread use of non-standard English norms, indicating linguistic adaptation beyond traditional boundaries in various environments. Significantly, this study contributes by highlighting how ELF participants reshape language for effective communication, prioritizing intelligibility over nativelike proficiency, with insights extending beyond the Thai context, valuable for educators, linguists, and intercultural communication practitioners.

The study aims to assess the role of linguistic and non-linguistic barriers on the English-speaking abilities of Saudi EFL learners. A cross-sectional design was adopted and convenience sampling was employed to recruit the EFL learners in Saudi Universities. An online survey was conducted. Descriptive statistics, ttests, and factor analysis were performed. The results of the study showed that non-linguistic barriers, affecting English-speaking capabilities included fear of making mistakes, shyness, anxiety, confidence, and a lack of interest. Where the most significant factor was confidence in to impact of English speaking. Moreover, among linguistic barriers i.e., grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation, vocabulary was the most significant factor to influence the English-speaking ability of the Saudi EFL students. However, no gender-wise discrepancies were found in experiencing these barriers. The study concluded that there was no significant difference between male and female learners. Both genders faced linguistic and nonlinguistic barriers. However, pronunciation errors, a lack of vocabulary, and poor knowledge about grammatical structure were the linguistic barriers, faced by the students.

Native English speakers' accents are generally regarded as ideal models of English accents. However, in real-world communication, where English is used as a lingua franca for intercultural communication among people from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds, English users inevitably encounter a wide variety of accents. This paper presents part of a broader study that explores the attitudes of Thai students and teachers toward native speaker accents, Asian accents, and their own accents (i.e., Thai accents). Specifically, we focus on the attitudes of 123 Thai students attending a public secondary school in Thailand. We collected data through an online questionnaire and semi-structured interviews and analyzed it using descriptive statistics and thematic coding. Our findings indicate that American accents were overwhelmingly viewed as the most favorable and served as the standard for pronunciation. While Asian English accents were generally perceived as intelligible and acceptable, some participants expressed negative attitudes toward their own Thai accents, considering them to be deficient. These findings highlight the importance of raising awareness about the diversity of English accents in both English language teaching and policy.

The study aims to determine whether exposing EFL Saudi undergraduate students to TED talks could effectively contribute to the improvement of their oral language proficiency. To achieve this goal, 32 English as a Foreign Language Saudi undergraduate students were recruited to participate in the study. These students were selected based on their willingness to engage in the study and their availability for participation. The study employed a pre-test and post-test design, indicating that the participants' oral skills were assessed both before and after they were exposed to the TED talks. This design enables the researchers to measure the potential improvement in oral skills by comparing the scores obtained from the two tests. The test scores were evaluated across multiple dimensions, including fluency, content, vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation. The results indicated that the overall scores of the EFL students improved after they watched the TED talks. This improvement suggests that the exposure to TED talks had a positive impact on the participants' oral skills, particularly in terms of fluency, which was the primary focus of the study.

The study described in this article evaluates the effectiveness of methods of improving phonetic, grammatical, and syntactic skills in children with general speech underdevelopment in a bilingual environment. The method is based on a theoretical study of severe speech disorders, a structural analysis of linguistic samples, and a comparative study of the results of research by various scientists in an interdisciplinary discourse. An experimental study was carried out concerning the assessment of the effectiveness of speech therapy exercises for forming linguistic skills (phonetic-phonemic, morphological, word-formation, lexical, and syntactic) at different language levels in preschoolers with a general speech disorder in the context of bilingualism (Kazakh was considered the main language, and Russian was considered an additional language). The materials presented in this paper can be used to develop linguistic skills for various speech defects.

The present study examined students' perception of using Artificial intelligence-powered text-to-speech apps (AI TTS Apps) to learn aspects of English language pronunciation. This investigation was conducted considering the extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2). To ensure participants had prior experience using AI TTS for pronunciation, they engaged in five sessions focused on learning both segmental and suprasegmental aspects of pronunciation through a text-to-speech app. This research employed a mixed-method approach. A questionnaire was used to examine participants' perceptions of AI TTS Apps, while interviews were conducted to gain deeper insights into their experiences with AI TTS Apps. According to the results, participants positively perceived the use of AI TTS Apps in learning pronunciation. It is recommended to utilize AI Text-to-Speech Apps both within and outside pronunciation classes, due to their positive pedagogical effects.

Background study: Chinese tone pronunciation instruction gains increasingly attention and various instructional strategies have been studied to develop effective tones in students. Students usually listen to successful pronunciation stimuli provided by the teacher or peers, to be copied by themselves. However, individuals seem more sensitive to learn from their own voice to develop adequate tone pronunciation. Self-Modelling is an instructional strategy that builds on learning from ones' own behaviour to develop target behaviours. Most available research builds on visual cues; hence the label Visual Self Modelling (VSM) that presents learners with videoclips of their own behaviour. VSM had been found to be successful to develop a range of skills. However, when focusing on language pronunciation, audio cues are to be preferred to direct the modelling process. This inspired the authors to the design of audio self-modelling (ASM) that starts from recordings of students' pronunciation. These auditory recordings are hypothesized to be more appropriate as a base for self-modelling. Objectives: The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of ASM when training Chinese as a foreign language students' tone pronunciation (focus on contour, pitch, duration. Additionally, the study explores the impact of ASM on students' self-efficacy and motivation and the relationship between students' tone pronunciation skill, self-efficacy, and motivation. Method: A quasi-experimental design was adopted, involving 26 students in a six-week intervention to study the improvement of their pronunciation of Chinese tones at word level. Seventeen students in the experimental condition were trained via ASM; the other nine students studied pronunciation as usual on the base of teacher provided pronunciation stimuli and corrective feedback. Students in the ASM were also individually interviewed about their learning experience. Results: Analysis of the quantitative pre- and post-tests scores show that ASM results in a significantly higher posttest score for in each of the tone criteria as compared to the control group (contour, pitch and duration). Also, students' self-efficacy and motivation improved to a significantly higher extent in the ASM research condition. No significant correlations were found between CFL students' tone pronunciation performance and their self-efficacy and motivation. Analysis of the interview data further indicated that CFL students put forward positive attitudes and perceptions about ASM, next to some concerns. Conclusion: The significant findings present empirical evidence as to the efficacy of ASM as an instructional strategy to develop L2 skills, and push the idea to adopt self-modelling on the base of person auditory recordings to direct L2 pronunciation instruction.

Although explicit instruction is effective in helping second language (L2) learners develop intelligible pronunciation, it is necessary to understand why and how L2 teachers implement such explicit pronunciation instruction systematically in class. Because of its key role in enhancing learners' pronunciation skills, understanding the rationale behind the implementation of explicit instruction by teachers in different contexts is necessary. A key aspect of analysis in the implementation of explicit pronunciation instruction is the teacher's metalanguage knowledge, which could showcase a key component of pronunciation teachers' ability to present phonetic-phonological content in an accessible manner to learners during explicit instruction. This case study analyzed an experienced English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) teacher's metalanguage knowledge in L2 pronunciation instruction. Using qualitative data-collection methods (e.g., semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and stimulated-recall interviews), and Freeman's (2020) "Knowledge Base of Language Teaching Framework," the results of this study showcase the way an experienced teacher's metalanguage knowledge influenced the implementation of explicit L2 pronunciation instruction, and how the teacher's metalanguage shaped the type of language available to learners in different activities in class. These results are also discussed in terms of their implications for training teachers in L2 pronunciation pedagogy.

This exploratory study investigates how international students perceive and experience communication challenges in Iran's higher education context. This study explores the real-life experiences of international students enrolled in various academic programs. This study employs a qualitative approach using interviews to gather data. This study involved 70 international students from different countries. Participants were enrolled in various programs at Iranian universities. The findings revealed five communication challenges: "linguistic barriers," "cultural differences," "lack of confidence," "ineffective teaching practices," and "poor teacher rapport." As mentioned by the participants, these challenges influence effective communication and participation in academic settings. This study found that these communication challenges often co-occur together and can lead to other communication challenges. In this regard, linguistic barriers among international students can contribute to a lack of confidence, and ineffective teaching practices can lead to language barriers. The most common pattern observed in the data was linguistic barriers leading to a lack of confidence. This study emphasizes the importance of addressing these challenges to establish a more inclusive and engaging learning environment for international students. By acknowledging and actively addressing the communication challenges faced by international students, educators and policymakers can play a crucial role in establishing a supportive and inclusive learning environment that enhances students' communication skills and overall academic success.

This article analyses how ChatGPT may be used in L2 pronunciation teaching and learning, especially when explicit pronunciation instruction is integrated into a communicative approach to language teaching. The possible use of ChatGPT for production practice, listening practice, and obtaining explanations and examples of target L2 features is discussed and exemplified. Limitations of the tool for pronunciation work are also discussed alongside some challenges that L2 learners and L2 teachers may face when using the tool. The article concludes that ChatGPT may be incorporated into teachers' and learners' array of technology tools for teaching or learning L2 pronunciation. However, ChatGPT should be regarded as a complementary tool to other pronunciation teaching and learning resources. Above all, ChatGPT cannot replace interaction through formal instruction with teachers and other L1 or L2 speakers of English in the development of L2 pronunciation.

During spoken word processing, native (L1) listeners use allophonic variation to predictively rule out word competitors and speed up word recognition. There is some evidence that second language (L2) learners develop an awareness of allophonic distributions in their L2, but whether they use their knowledge to facilitate word recognition online, like native listeners do, is largely unknown. In an offline gating experiment and an online eye-tracking experiment in the visual world paradigm, we compare advanced French learners of English and a control group of L1 English listeners on their processing of English vowel nasalization during spoken word recognition. In the gating task, the French listeners' performance did not differ from that of the English ones. The eye-tracking results show that French listeners used the allophonic distribution in the same way as English listeners, although they were not as fast. Together, these results reveal that L2 learners can develop novel processing strategies using sounds in allophonic distribution to facilitate spoken word recognition.

Nonverbal behavior can impact language proficiency scores in speaking tests, but there is little empirical information of the size or consistency of its effects or whether language proficiency may be a moderating variable. In this study, 100 novice raters watched and scored 30 recordings of test takers taking an international, high stakes proficiency test. The speech samples were each 2 minutes long and ranged in proficiency levels. The raters scored each sample on fluency, vocabulary, grammar, and comprehensibility using 7-point semantic differential scales. Nonverbal behavior was extracted using an automated machine learning software called iMotions, and data was analyzed with ordinal mixed effects regression. Results showed that attentional variance predicted fluency, vocabulary, and grammar scores, but only when accounting for proficiency. Higher standard deviations of attention corresponded with lower scores for the lower-proficiency group, but not the mid/higher-proficiency group. Comprehensibility scores were only predicted by mean valence when proficiency was an interaction term. Higher mean valence, or positive emotional behavior, corresponded with higher scores in the lower-proficiency group, but not the mid/higher-proficiency group. Effect sizes for these predictors were quite small, with small amounts of variance explained. These results have implications for construct representation and test fairness.

Although existing research describes how teacher candidates (TCs) have incorporated translanguaging pedagogies through practice-based assignments, little research closely examines how TCs engage in discursive shifts, or moment-to-moment linguistic decisions, in translanguaging pedagogies during literacy instruction in their field placement internships. Drawing on a larger study that utilized practitioner inquiry with an ethnographic approach, we analyzed TCs' literacy instruction for their discursive shifts in which TCs and elementary students 1) engaged in translanguaging 2) spoke about named languages 3) attempted to draw upon multilingual students' cultural and linguistic knowledges. Our analyses of TCs' discursive shifts during translanguaging read-alouds showed that TCs employed more or less effective and affirming discursive shifts to position multilingual students as linguistic experts. TCs also employed certain discursive shifts that gave multilingual students more opportunities to share cultural and linguistic knowledge unknown to the TCs and peers than others. Lastly, TCs engaged in discursive shifts that provided multilingual students space to advocate for their linguistic, cultural and textual rights. We conclude by discussing the findings and sharing implications on developing effective and affirming uses of translanguaging pedagogies in literacy instruction.

Persuasiveness in oral communication in English can be expressed with various vocal phonetic cues that may not be readily accessible to English second language (L2) learners whose native language may employ a different set of cues. With a goal to increase L2 learners' perceived spoken confidence and persuasiveness, and obtain empirical evidence for phonetic adjustments that native English speakers make to influence listeners, the current study explored the use of consonant prolongation in stressed syllable onsets for emphasis by native British English speakers and English L2 learners. The native speakers' durations of continuant consonants and voiceless stop consonant voice onset times (VOTs) in (1) neutrally-produced speech and (2) persuasively delivered motivational/shocking/emotional messages were compared to Latvian L2 English speakers' productions. The results revealed that in persuasive speech, the British speakers' consonantal durations, particularly those of continuants, got significantly longer relative to the vowels that followed them; for English L2 learners, the duration of consonants did not change as a factor of speech type. This is in line with our previous research with American English speakers and carries implications for L2 speech learning and teaching.

The present study presents an instructional procedure developed in an attempt to enhance incidental learning through graded readers in class, the Multiple Incidental Exposures (MIE) procedure, and compares it to a more common procedure involving reading and doing the exercises, which is referred to as Traditional Explicit Practice (TEP). Participants were 44 Catalan/Spanish students (aged 10-11 years) taking the fifth course of primary education in a school in Catalonia. Participants belonged to two intact classes that were randomly assigned a condition: MIE group (n = 23, n = 15 males, n = 8 females) and the TEP group (n = 21, n = 12 males, n = 9 females). The MIE group was first told the story by their teacher, then read and listened to the graded readers twice (first collectively and later on individually), to be followed by a True/False activity and a jigsaw reading task. The TEP group read and listened to the story collectively once and then performed a series of traditional explicit exercises very similar in format to those included at the end of the graded reader. Participants were administered a vocabulary test, a grammar test and a perception of pronunciation test following a pre- post-test design. A questionnaire on the participants' attitudes was also administered on the post-test. The results show that while the TEP procedure is more effective for grammar learning, the MIE and TEP procedures are equally effective in terms of vocabulary and pronunciation. In terms of enjoyment and perception of learning, both groups showed comparable results.

This article intends to add to the rising discussion related to the employment of authentic plays and drama within a high school compulsory curriculum for enhancing learners' foreign language (L2) oral skills. In particular, it examines the pedagogical use of authentic contemporary plays for developing learners' L2 oral production in terms of (1) complexity -- syntactic and mean length of AS-units (MLAS) and (2) accuracy -- global and pronunciation accuracy. For this purpose, a class of 10 final year high school students with a lower-intermediate to upper-intermediate level of language in an Italian context was exposed longitudinally to a blended-drama approach -- the use of literary play scripts, drama games and techniques, and a full-scale performance -- conducted over two terms for a total of 40 hours in-class lessons. A control group was taught through a traditional approach over the same period. Quantitative data were collected through a pre-test/post-test design with three tasks under different conditions regarding status and interaction: oral proficiency interview (OPI), story-retelling and guided role-play (GRP). Findings revealed that drama significantly improved learners' pronunciation accuracy, syntactic complexity and MLAS. There was no significant statistical result on global accuracy between the two groups. Pedagogical implications for teaching practice will be discussed.

Despite scholars' advocacy of intelligibility over nativelikeness in the EFL education context, many learners still seem to favour standard British and American accents. However, comparisons across studies have shown some changes in learners' perceptions, suggesting a move away from standard accent orientation. This article reports part of a larger study that examined the relationships between four learner-related predictor variables (self-rated proficiency, previous exposure to different accents, attitude towards [spoken] English, and attitude towards accuracy) and two outcome variables (learners' attitudes towards standard accents, and attitudes towards pronunciation in speaking proficiency assessment). A questionnaire was completed by 1,300 EFL secondary-school students in Hong Kong. The four predictors were generally found to correlate significantly with the two outcomes (Pearson's "rs" ranging approximately from 0.10 to 0.50). Specifically, learners' attitudes towards accuracy and (spoken) English had the strongest positive relationships with the outcomes. In the multiple regression models, these two predictors together explained 32% and 11% of the variance in attitudes towards standard accents and pronunciation assessment respectively.

Technology has become an integral part of our daily lives, permeating every aspect. One area where technology has shown potential to enhance English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learning is through the use of animated movies. Despite the growing significance of technology in education, research is scarce in this specific area. Therefore, the aim of this study, conducted in 2023, was to investigate the impact of animated movies on the development of speaking abilities among motivated EFL learners. A total of 370 elementary students studying EFL in various institutions participated by responding to questionnaires. A multiple-stage cluster sampling approach was employed to select the participants. The students were divided into two groups: the experimental group (EG) and the control group (CG). The selection of 15 animated films from a pool of 50 was performed using the Lawsh CVR (content validity ratio) and CVI (content validity index) algorithms, following validation by professionals. The study was designed as an experiment, and descriptive statistics and the ANCOVA test were employed to analyse the quantitative data. The findings revealed a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test results of the EG in English-speaking skills, vocabulary learning, English pronunciation skills, understanding and recognition. According to the study, animated movies have the potential to aid teachers and EFL students in enhancing their speaking skills. This research sheds light on the benefits of incorporating animated movies into language learning environments, offering valuable insights for both educators and learners alike.

This study was conducted to understand issues related to the current practice of English teacher education development in the Lao People's Democratic Republic with a focus on reading. It recognizes that what pre-service teachers experience both prior to and during their teacher education are important and need to be understood if the goals of teacher education are to be achieved. Previous research found that pre-service teachers' prior experiences of both reading and learning to read were mostly a matter of learning discrete language items rather than developing comprehension and critical reading, and that these experiences had shaped perceptions about how reading is taught. This study extends this understanding by investigating reading-related pedagogy on a teacher education programme. Its findings highlight a gap between an education policy that promotes communicative language teaching and classroom practice. Therefore, for the goals of policy to be realized in the language classroom, appropriate innovations are needed.

This mixed-methods study investigated Chinese tertiary-level students' perceptions of different English accents existing in mainland China. Also examined were their perception changes and factors that contributed to their perception changes. An electronic questionnaire survey was employed to investigate the general trend and the possible correlations and differences in the participants' perceptions of different English accents. Follow-up interviews and diary studies were conducted to examine the participants' perception changes and the contributing factors. The main findings show that the participants were inclined to accord privileged status to Inner Circle English accents, whereas their perceptions of Outer Circle and Expanding Circle English accents tended to remain unfavourable. Their perceptions were found to be under the substantial influence of the ongoing exonormative English education, English language assessment system and employment requirements. We also found that the explicit instruction of the development of English and the frequent cross-cultural communication were likely to engender changes in the participants' language beliefs and perceptions of different English accent varieties.

This literature review explores the impact of music on tonal language learning, with a focus on Mandarin Chinese. Utilising searches across major databases such as ERIC (EBSCO), ProQuest Central, Google Scholar, and Web of Science from 2005 to 2024, we selected relevant peer-reviewed English-language articles examining music's role in aiding tone acquisition and related cognitive processes. From 30 publications, findings are categorised into theoretical relationships, cognitive effects, melodic intonation therapy (MIT) applications and digital music applications. Theoretical frameworks emphasise the correlation between musicality and language proficiency, highlighting musicians' enhanced tonal perception and production skills. Cognitive effects include music's influence on pronunciation, memory and cultural understanding. MIT's effectiveness in tonal language learning is then discussed, emphasising its potential to improve cortical representations of tone categories. Finally, digital music applications are examined, focusing on language learning apps incorporating music for personalised and engaging learning experiences. The review finds significant literature reporting that music-based methodologies, aligned with experiential learning paradigms, hold significant potential in Mandarin Chinese acquisition. They enhance listening comprehension, spoken language production, and understanding of grammar and syntax. Similar to MIT principles, music-assisted tonal language learning utilises exaggerated melody and rhythm to improve language production, especially with complex words. This review is motivated by the recognition of music's potential benefits in language education, especially for tonal languages. It aims to provide educators and researchers with insights into effective methods and applications, guiding instructional practices and stimulating further empirical investigations in this interdisciplinary field. Ultimately, it contributes to the ongoing discourse on optimising tonal language learning methodologies.

This article is an initial imagining of what an anti-racist pronunciation pedagogy (APP) might look like in ELT contexts such as immigrant employment training and international students studying in North American higher-education institutions. Three possible foci of an APP are briefly explored. First, this pedagogy helps students refuse the idea of the phonological superiority of the white native speaker. Furthermore, it reinforces intelligibility as a joint goal of both speaker and listener, thereby acknowledging how race and racism inform listener perceptions of speakers. Finally, an APP is an activist pedagogy that seeks to address institutionalized racism with regard to speech accent.

An important shift in language learning research is the understanding that pronunciation instruction is necessary to ensure learners' balanced development in pronunciation and second language (L2) speech. Research focusing on understanding what types of pronunciation instruction are effective and what makes them most effective has grown dramatically over the past decade. Given the methodological heterogeneity apparent in this body of literature, however, many questions remain to understand the specific effects of pronunciation training paradigms on learners' L2 development. In this article, we make the case that replication is a productive means of validating findings and assessing the strength of existing evidence in L2 pronunciation research. As prime targets for replication, we review three studies that offer different perspectives on how L2 pronunciation instruction can be optimized. We have chosen each of these studies because they significantly advance the field conceptually, have broken new ground empirically, and point to areas in which replication studies can have a large impact. We describe a series of close and/or approximate replications of each initial study that would add detail to existing knowledge and provide a more comprehensive understanding of how and why L2 pronunciation instruction is effective, for whom, and under what conditions.

Purpose: This study aims at investigating the phonological development of the six guttural consonants of Jordanian Arabic, /[chi]/, /[voiced uvular fricative]/, /[voiceless pharyngeal fricative]/, /[voiced pharyngeal fricative]/, /[glottal stop]/, and /h/. Method: An articulation test is designed to involve two tasks: picture naming and repetition. The test includes 54 words for picture naming and 18 words for repetition, representing all possible positions of the targeted guttural sounds. Samples are collected from 40 typically developing Ammani-Jordanian Arabic-speaking monolingual children, living in Amman, Jordan. Respondents are equally divided into eight age-related trajectories: 2-2;6, 2;6-3, 3-3;6, 3;6-4, 4-4;6, 4;6-5, 5-5;6, and 5;6-6 (years;months). No child with a history of hearing, speech, or vision disorders is included. The data are analyzed using "production accuracy," where the three developmental trajectories of production (customary, acquisition, and mastery) are determined for each guttural, and "error analysis," addressed based on perceptual judgments, providing details of every mispronounced or deleted guttural. Results: The results show that /[chi]/, /[voiceless pharyngeal fricative]/, /[voiced pharyngeal fricative]/, and /[glottal stop]/ are acquired before the age of 6 years, while /[voiced uvular fricative]/ and /h/ are still not acquired by this age. Respondents use relatively variant alternatives for the mispronounced cognates, including guttural, nonguttural sounds, and vowel substitution. The /[voiced uvular fricative]/ is the guttural with the highest number of alternatives, while /[glottal stop]/ gets the least. The analysis also reveals patterns of guttural deletion, with variations across different guttural sounds and positions. Despite errors/deviations made, respondents score accuracy percentages that gradually increase in correlation with age. The guttural /[voiced uvular fricative]/ starts with the lowest accuracy percentages, while /[glottal stop]/ and /[voiceless pharyngeal fricative]/ start with the highest. Conclusions: These findings illuminate on the developmental trajectory of guttural acquisition and enrich our understanding of children's evolving perception and production abilities. They offer valuable insights into the patterns of guttural sound production in Jordanian Arabic-speaking children, laying the groundwork for further research and the development of targeted assessment and intervention strategies to support phonological development in this population.

This article provides a review of previous studies that have examined the effects of orthography on establishing contrastive phonological representations in second language acquisition and presents results from an original study on Mandarin speakers' production of English stops investigating how the presence of orthography affects the production of phonological categories that involve allophony. English voiceless stops are canonically represented as aspirated [p[superscript h], t[superscript h], k[superscript h]] in word-initial/stressed onset positions but are realized as unaspirated [p, t, k] following /s/ and in unstressed, non-initial onset positions. The results of our imitation experiment showed that Mandarin speakers failed to correctly imitate the unaspirated allophones when presented with written input, and this orthographic effect was stronger with nonwords than with real words. These results are best explained by an orthography effect mediated by phonological awareness and prior linguistic experience.

This study aims to identify the pronunciation issues with English fricatives that undergraduate students encounter as a result of the intricate link between the English letter and sound. The purpose of this study is to gather comprehensive data regarding students' pronunciation difficulties in terms of the degree of difficulty associated with each English fricative sound, as well as the types of words in which they occur (monosyllabic words, disyllabic words, and multisyllabic words). In order to explain the English sounds that were contributing to the students' pronunciation issues, a descriptive qualitative method was adopted in this study. The information was gathered by recording students speaking 48 words with English fricatives. The results showed that sound /[voiceless dental fricative]/ accounts for 93.9% of the challenges, followed by sound /v/ at 81.8% and sound /[voiced dental fricative]/ at 60.6%. The main cause of the students' difficulties is the irregularity of the letter-sound relationship, and this can be prevented by altering the teaching strategy and making use of listening practice.

Presentation skills are considered as the most vital proficiencies required in higher education. This research paper examined the difficulties of oral presentation EFL learners encountered, strategies used to make oral presentation well and the perceived role of lecturer in improving EFL learners' oral presentation skills. With regard to achieving these objectives, questionnaires distributed to 150 EFL learners, and face-to-face interviews were conducted. The quantitative data were analyzed through SPSS by conducting frequencies and percentages, independent sample t-test and ANOVA tests. The results of the study revealed that learners had a problem with oral fluency, accuracy and pronunciation during oral presentation, feel frightened when a lot of people are watching them, afraid of being assessed by their classmates in front of the class, having low self-confidence. Furthermore, considering a crucial role of lecturer in improving oral presentation skills, this study also discovered that lecturer has to show learners videos of good speakers for enhancing their presentation skills and lecturer has to give learners freedom to choose their own topics that lower their anxiety. It is hoped that the ideas discussed will provide the learners and lecturers with basic guidelines of how to improve the learners' oral presentation and assist learners to work their way out of anxiety.

In contemplating multilingualism and mobility in the 21st century, several dimensions warrant attention in the emerging field of migration linguistics. First is the move beyond migration to thinking about mobilities, in particular, the new mobilities paradigm in the social sciences which views human mobility as entailing a complex assemblage of movement, social imaginaries, and experience. Second, a study of the different waves of migration in a particular society, as well as concomitant and official language policies -- using Singapore as a case in point -- distinguishes the layers of, on the one hand, the older, and thus established migrants, versus newer migrants, in particular, transient populations of foreign workers, and, crucially, the differential statuses that these communities and their languages hold in society -- including a potential invisibility of authentic multilingualisms. Such an examination allows the development of a typology of migrants in a statal narrative. Where lines are drawn is dependent on circumstance, with the periphery positioned differentially in times of celebration versus crisis, for example, in risk communication in this pandemic era. This holds significant implications for access and appropriation, and consequent (im)mobilities, and, in the bigger picture, for the crucial intersections -- including how society is responding to the role of indigenous languages for the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. This is particularly timely for this International Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022-2032), noted to not be addressing the interactions between language and migration, as well as the challenge of migrant intergration, recognised as a central and important driver of sustainable development.

This study looks at how migrants' accents are portrayed, labelled, and constructed in media discourse, investigating media coverage of migrants' accents in the Australian press from 2007 to 2017, a period highlighted by changes in Australian citizenship policies and public discourse. While language has been extensively discussed in policy discourse, there has been a notable dearth of research on the coexistence of dialects and accents within official languages as portrayed in media platforms. Using a corpus-assisted critical discourse analysis of 2,657,016 words from Australian newspaper articles, the study applies raciolinguistic ideologies to show how the press justifies and legitimizes migrant accent-related issues. The results suggest that speakers of Inner Circle English variants are positioned differently from non-white/Outer and Expanding Circle speakers. Speakers of the Inner Circle were far more likely than other speakers to have their accents described as 'broad' or 'thick', and they were more likely to have the national variation they spoke specifically named. Others, in contrast, regularly described racialized speakers as simply having a 'foreign' accent, and many of them frequently claimed trying to 'change' their accent or 'fake' an Australian accent in an effort to gain access to employment and broader social acceptance. These results emphasize the subtle and not-so-subtle ways that non-white migrant speakers are positioned as incompetent speakers and demonstrate how raciolinguistic ideologies, linguistic racism, and accent laboring concerns are widespread in Australian society. These findings highlight the significance of corpus approaches for studying language related issues and provide insight into accent biases produced by the media in Australian society.

Production of certain English phonemes relies heavily on effort from the abdominal region, and under-utilization of this region by second language English speakers can create difficulties pronouncing these sounds. In particular, production of long vowel/diphthong sounds requires sustained abdominal contraction to maintain the length of these phonemes, and production of voiced fricative consonants requires a sharp burst of abdominal effort to expel air from the lungs to adequately voice the consonant. Both Cantonese and Mandarin speakers have particular problems producing these phonemes, and this study compared how instruction in the abdominal techniques effected production of these sounds by these two learner groups. The study focused on the vowel and diphthong sounds, /i?/, /u?/ and /[a diphthong]/, and the voiced fricative consonants, /z/,/[voiced dental fricative]/, /v/ and /[voiced postalveolar fricative]/. A previous study by the author had found the abdominal techniques improved Chinese learners' production of these phonemes. The learners in that study were evenly divided between Mandarin and Cantonese speakers, and this study reanalysed the data to examine which speaker group benefited more from these abdominal techniques. Results showed that the Mandarin speakers were the major beneficiaries of the techniques. Importantly, the study also explored, in depth, likely reasons for this.