Given the linguistically diverse nature of academic institutions in English-speaking contexts, a strong rationale exists for the incorporation of L2 accents of English in academic listening assessment on the grounds of authenticity and construct representation. However large-scale tests have tended to feature only native-speaker varieties in listening test input owing to concerns about the intelligibility of L2 accents, construct validity and acceptability. This book presents a mixed-methods study designed to address these concerns. Versions of the University Test of English as a Second Language (UTESL) featuring Australian English, Japanese and Mandarin Chinese accented speakers were used to explore the potential for a shared-L1 or familiarity advantage, and to investigate test-takers' attitudes towards L2 accents on a listening test. Implications are drawn for test development and for future research.
| ISBN: | 9783631609392 |
| Publication date: | 29th April 2011 |
| Author: | Luke Harding |
| Publisher: | Peter Lang an imprint of Peter Lang GmbH, Internationaler Verlag der Wissenschaften |
| Format: | Hardback |
| Pagination: | 291 pages |
| Series: | Language Testing and Evaluation |
| Genres: |
Phonetics, phonology Educational: Modern (non-native or second) languages: Language learning Language acquisition Language learning: grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation Literary studies: general Study and learning skills: general Sociolinguistics |