Aula aberta proferida pela professora doutora Anastazija Kirkova-Naskova da Universidade de Skopje (Macedónia)

2 Maio 2016, 10:00 • Gueorgui Nenov Hristovsky

1. L2 Pronunciation acquisition and foreign accent: The case with Macedonian learners of English.

Abstract: The phenomenon of foreign accent in the speech of second language learners is a universally recognized aspect of second language phonological acquisition. The process of acquiring L2 phonology is not an easy task - the learner needs to achieve a high degree of accuracy of segmental articulation as well as the rules of phonotactics and prosody. Research shows that the influence of mother tongue (L1) is crucial thus giving the typical foreign accent subtlety which is immediately perceived by native speakers.

This lecture gives an overview of the most prominent markers of English speech spoken by Macedonian learners of English as perceived by native speakers of English.

First, an overview of the most relevant features of Macedonian phonology is presented. Then, a case study is presented detailing research on Macedonian-accented English in light of its vocalic, consonantal and prosodic characteristics. As a follow-up, the effectiveness of critical listening is discussed as a technique of improving learners’ awareness of their own L2 pronunciation.