Instructional Resources

An ongoing project in the Purdue Bilingualism Lab has been to design and test pedagogical materials for pronunciation instruction. Among several methods, the use of visual feedback has been shown to be beneficial for improving the pronunciation skills of second language learners. At its core, this approach consists of using speech analysis software, like Praat (Boersma & Weenink, 2019), to allow students to visualize their own productions and compare them with native speaker productions of the target language. Praat is a free software program commonly used in linguistic research, available from Praat.org. While additional research is needed to further test and develop this approach, we are happy to share some of the pedagogical materials that have been designed.

 

This project was supported by a grant from the Center for Instructional Excellence at Purdue University. Heather Offerman and Ana Jessica Hernández Morales have contributed significantly to the broader project.

 

Activities will be uploaded soon! In the meantime, feel free to contact us for information.

 

Olson, D. J. (2019). Feature acquisition in L2 phonetic development: Evidence from phonetic training. Language Learning, 1-39.

Offerman, H. & Olson, D. J. (2016). Visual feedback and second language segmental production: The generalizability of pronunciation gains. System, 59, 45-60. [pdf]

Olson, D. J. (2014). The benefits of visual feedback on segmental production in L2 classrooms. Language Learning and Technology, 18(3), 1-23. [pdf]

Olson, D. J. (2014). Phonetics and technology in the classroom: A practical approach to using speech analysis software in L2 pronunciation instruction. Hispania, 97(1), 47-68. [pdf]