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Embodying Rhythmic Properties of a Foreign Language through Hand-Clapping Helps Children to Better Pronounce Words
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Baills, Florence; Prieto, Pilar – Language Teaching Research, 2023
This study tested the effects of hand-clapping to the rhythm of newly learned French words on the pronunciation of these words by 7- to 8-year-old Catalan children. In a short training experiment with a pre- and posttest design, 28 children either repeated cognate words in French (e.g. French "aspirateur," Catalan "aspirador"…
Descriptors: French, Language Rhythm, Motor Reactions, Pronunciation
Observing and Producing Durational Hand Gestures Facilitates the Pronunciation of Novel Vowel-Length Contrasts
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Li, Peng; Baills, Florence; Prieto, Pilar – Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 2020
While empirical studies have shown the beneficial role of observing and producing hand gestures mimicking pitch features in the learning of L2 tonal or intonational contrasts, mixed results have been obtained for the use of gestures encoding durational contrasts at the perceptual level. This study investigates the potential benefits of horizontal…
Descriptors: Nonverbal Communication, Second Language Learning, Cognitive Processes, Japanese
Learning Direction Matters: A Study on L2 Rhythm Acquisition by Dutch Learners of Spanish and Spanish Learners of Dutch
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van Maastricht, Lieke; Krahmer, Emiel; Swerts, Marc; Prieto, Pilar – Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 2019
This study examines the acquisition process of speech rhythm in Dutch learners of Spanish (DLS) and Spanish learners of Dutch (SLD) at different proficiency levels to determine whether learning direction affects the success of rhythm acquisition in a foreign language (L2). Analyses of lengthening effects showed that the two learner groups followed…
Descriptors: Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Spanish, Language Rhythm
Hand-Clapping to the Rhythm of Newly Learned Words Improves L2 Pronunciation: Evidence from Training Chinese Adolescents with French Words
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Zhang, Yuan; Baills, Florence; Prieto, Pilar – Language Teaching Research, 2020
Though research has shown that rhythmic training is beneficial for phonological speech processing, little empirical work has been carried out to assess whether rhythmic training in the classroom can help to improve pronunciation in a second language. This study tests the potential benefits of hand-clapping to the rhythm of newly learned French…
Descriptors: Language Rhythm, Teaching Methods, French, Second Language Learning
Observing and Producing Pitch Gestures Facilitates the Learning of Mandarin Chinese Tones and Words
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Baills, Florence; Suárez-González, Nerea; González-Fuente, Santiago; Prieto, Pilar – Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 2019
This study investigates the perception and production of a specific type of metaphoric gesture that mimics melody in speech, also called "pitch gesture," in the learning of L2 suprasegmental features. In a between-subjects design, a total of 106 participants with no previous knowledge of Chinese were asked to observe (Experiment 1) and…
Descriptors: Mandarin Chinese, Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Phonology
Observing Pitch Gestures Favors the Learning of Spanish Intonation by Mandarin Speakers
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Yuan, Chenjie; González-Fuente, Santiago; Baills, Florence; Prieto, Pilar – Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 2019
Recent studies on the learning of L2 prosody have suggested that pitch gestures can enhance the learning of the L2 lexical tones. Yet it remains unclear whether the use of these gestures can aid the learning of L2 intonation, especially by tonal-language speakers. Sixty-four Mandarin speakers with basic-level Spanish were asked to learn three…
Descriptors: Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction