Towards the phonetic basis of spoken second language assessment: temporal features as indicators of perceived proficiency level

Heini Kallio, Juraj Šimko, Ari Huhta, Reima Karhila, Martti Vainio, Erik Lindroos, Raili Hildén, Mikko Kurimo

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterScientificpeer-review

Abstract

This study investigates whether temporal features in speech can predict the perceived proficiency level in Finnish learners of Swedish. In so doing, seven expert raters assessed speech samples produced by upper secondary school students using the revised CEFR scale for phonological control. The effect of temporal features was studied with a cumulative link mixed model, and the assessments were further analyzed to study inter-rater variation. The results indicate that articulation rate and certain types of disfluencies in speech can predict the perceived proficiency level. Furthermore, assessors seem to weigh temporal features differently depending on the speech type and their individual focus.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationNäkökulmia toisen kielen puheeseen. Insights into Second Language Speech
PublisherSuomen soveltavan kielitieteen yhdistys AFinLA ry
Pages193-213
Edition10
ISBN (Electronic)978-951-9388-66-3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2017
MoE publication typeA3 Book section, Chapters in research books

Publication series

NameAFINLA-E: SOVELTAVAN KIELITIETEEN TUTKIMUKSIA
PublisherAssociation Finlandaise de Linguistique Appliquée
ISSN (Print)1798-7822

Keywords

  • L2 proficiency assessment
  • L2 phonetics
  • prosody
  • temporal features

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