Does the Functional Load Principle Predict How Important Phonemic Contrasts Are to Intelligibility Among ELF Users? A Partial Replication of Munro and Derwing (2006) From an ELF Perspective
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George O’Neal
George O’NEAL is an associate professor at Niigata University in Japan. He received his PhD from Waseda University in Japan. His research focuses on the phonology and intelligibility of speakers of English as a lingua franca in Japan.
Lance LATHAM is a part-time instructor at Niigata University in Japan. He received his Masters in Education from the University of Texas at Arlington. His research focuses on English as a Lingua Franca in Japan.
Abstract
The Functional Load (FL) principle predicts that high FL phonemic contrasts, such as /i:/ and /ɪ/, contribute more to the mutual intelligibility of pronunciation than low FL phonemic contrasts, such as /u:/ and /ʊ/. In order to assess whether the FL principle accurately predicts intelligibility under English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) conditions, this study partially replicated the first study to empirically support the FL principle: Munro and Derwing (2006). Chinese speakers of English recorded 24 sentences containing target words with high and low FL phoneme substitutions, and 171 Japanese university students listened to the sentences and transcribed the target words into standard orthography. The hypothesis of this study is that the target words with high FL phoneme substitutions will be less intelligible than the target words with low FL phoneme substitutions. The results showed that the target words with high FL phoneme substitutions were indeed lower in intelligibility than the target words with low FL phoneme substitutions, and furthermore cumulative high FL phoneme substitutions lower intelligibility even more. The results are consistent with Munro and Derwing’s (2006) finding that high FL phoneme substitutions lower comprehensibility more than low FL phoneme substitutions, and thus this study claims to have replicated one aspect of their study even under ELF conditions.
About the authors
George O’NEAL is an associate professor at Niigata University in Japan. He received his PhD from Waseda University in Japan. His research focuses on the phonology and intelligibility of speakers of English as a lingua franca in Japan.
Lance LATHAM is a part-time instructor at Niigata University in Japan. He received his Masters in Education from the University of Texas at Arlington. His research focuses on English as a Lingua Franca in Japan.
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Appendix A: Test Sentences
Mispronounced target words are written in phonemic transcription. The intended target words are in pa‐ rentheses, next to the sentences.
1. (0, 0) Plants need water and sunlight.
2. (0, 0) Cats like to eat fish.
3. (0, 0) The lesson was very long.
4. (0, 0) There are animals in the forest.
5. (0, 1) You can borrow a book from /di:/ teacher. (Target word = the)
6. (0, 1) I saw him last /mʌnf/. (Target word = month)
7. (0, 1) You can see /di:/ tiger at the zoo. (Target word = the)
8. (0, 1) She went /wɪf/ her friends. (Target word = with)
9. (0, 2) They are bigger /dæn/ /di:/ others. (Target words = than, the)
10. (0, 2) /di:/ cat ate /di:/ fish. (Target words = the, the)
11. (0, 2) I went to /di:/ store two /mʌnfs/ ago. (Target words = the, months)
12. (0, 2) I went /wɪf/ my sister to /di:/ city. (Target words = with, the)
13. (0, 2) The train is faster /dæn/ /di:/ car. (Target words = than, the)
14. (1, 0) I forgot to tie my /su:/. (Target word = shoe)
15. (1, 0) I /li:d/ to go to the station. (Target word = need)
16. (1, 0) I had some /ʃu:p/ for lunch. (Target word = soup)
17. (1, 0) They /ɹaɪz/ the bus to work. (Target word = ride)
18. (2, 0) I saw the /nɔjəɹ/ in the /naɪbɛɹi:/. (Target words = lawyer, library)
19. (2, 0) The /naɪən/ rested in the /sʌnnaɪt/. (Target words = lion, sunlight)
20. (2, 0) I /ʃɛl/ /ʃu:p/ at a restaurant. (Target words = sell, soup)
21. (1, 1) He went to /di:/ /naɪbɛɹi:/. (Target words = the, library)
22. (1, 1) I want to be /di:/ best /nɔjəɹ/. (Target words = the, lawyer)
23. (1, 1) You /li:d/ to buy /di:/ medicine. (Target words = need, the)
24. (1, 1) We can /ɹaɪz/ /di:/ bus. (Target words = ride, the)
Appendix B: Experimental Instrument (Version 1)
The other three versions of the experimental instrument only differed according to the order of the test sentences.
デモグラフィックアンケートを記入してください
1. 何年間英語を勉強していますか?
１□ ２□ ３□ ４□ ５□ ６□ ７□ ８□ ９□ １０~□
2. 今何年生ですか?
１年生□ ２年生□ ３年生□ ４年生□ 院生□
3. 日本以外の国に住んだことがありますか?「はい」なら、何年間ですか?
はい□ いいえ□ ________________
4. 海外旅行をしたことがありますか?どこですか?どれくらい滞在しましたか?
はい□ いいえ□ ________________
5. 英会話や英語の塾に通ったことがありますか?
１年間□ ２年間□ ３年間□ ４年間□ ５年間□ ６年間□ ７年間~□
英語の音声を聞き、抜けている単語を線の上に書いてください。音声は一回しか流しません。
PRETEST:
1. Cats need a ____________ to ____________.
2. I bought ____________ ____________.
1. Plants need ____________ and ____________.
2. ____________ like to eat ____________.
3. The ____________ was very ____________.
4. There are ____________ in the ____________.
5. You can ____________ a book from ____________ teacher.
6. I saw him last ____________.
7. You can see ____________ tiger at the zoo.
8. She went ____________ her friends.
9. They are bigger ____________ ____________ others.
10. ____________ cat ate ____________ fish.
11. I went to ____________ store two ____________ ago.
12. I went ____________ my sister to ____________ city.
13. ____________ train is faster ____________ the car.
14. I ____________ to tie my ____________.
15. I ____________ to go to ____________ station.
16. I ____________ some ____________ for lunch.
17. They ____________ the bus to ____________.
18. I saw the ____________ in the ____________.
19. The ____________ rested in the ____________.
20. I ____________ ____________ at a restaurant.
21. He went to ____________ ____________.
22. I want to be ____________ best ____________.
23. You ____________ to buy ____________ medicine.
24. We can ____________ ____________ bus.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI (Grant No. 19K13220).
© 2023 FLTRP, Walter de Gruyter, Cultural and Education Section British Embassy
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Speech Intelligibility
- Does the Functional Load Principle Predict How Important Phonemic Contrasts Are to Intelligibility Among ELF Users? A Partial Replication of Munro and Derwing (2006) From an ELF Perspective
- Comparing the Intelligibility of Different Varieties of English Through Predicting Learners Comprehension: A Phonetic Experimental Approach
- Second Language Acquisition
- Dialogic Learner and Identity Changes in the English Majors at a University for Liberal Arts
- Going for -ing or -en? A Puzzle about Adjectival Participles for Learners of English
- Study of High-Proficiency Chinese EFL Learners’ Strategy Applications in Constructive Feedback
- Language Teaching
- An Exploratory Study of Students’ and Teachers’ Perceptions of Language-Literature Integration in Secondary EFL Education
- An Exploration of Learning Satisfaction and Problems on Synchronous Online Teaching Mode in an English Comprehensive Reading Course During the COVID-19 Epidemic Period
- Second Language Writing
- Student Engagement With Peer Feedback in L2 Writing: A Multiple Case Study of Chinese Secondary School Students
- Book Review
- Review on Languaging in Language Learning and Teaching: A Collection of Empirical Studies
- Abstracts
- Chinese Abstracts
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Speech Intelligibility
- Does the Functional Load Principle Predict How Important Phonemic Contrasts Are to Intelligibility Among ELF Users? A Partial Replication of Munro and Derwing (2006) From an ELF Perspective
- Comparing the Intelligibility of Different Varieties of English Through Predicting Learners Comprehension: A Phonetic Experimental Approach
- Second Language Acquisition
- Dialogic Learner and Identity Changes in the English Majors at a University for Liberal Arts
- Going for -ing or -en? A Puzzle about Adjectival Participles for Learners of English
- Study of High-Proficiency Chinese EFL Learners’ Strategy Applications in Constructive Feedback
- Language Teaching
- An Exploratory Study of Students’ and Teachers’ Perceptions of Language-Literature Integration in Secondary EFL Education
- An Exploration of Learning Satisfaction and Problems on Synchronous Online Teaching Mode in an English Comprehensive Reading Course During the COVID-19 Epidemic Period
- Second Language Writing
- Student Engagement With Peer Feedback in L2 Writing: A Multiple Case Study of Chinese Secondary School Students
- Book Review
- Review on Languaging in Language Learning and Teaching: A Collection of Empirical Studies
- Abstracts
- Chinese Abstracts
