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PRODID:-//pretalx//conference-hub.linguistic-society.com//athens-2026//talk
 //SFSYAK
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UID:pretalx-athens-2026-SFSYAK@conference-hub.linguistic-society.com
DTSTART:20260423T133000Z
DTEND:20260423T134500Z
DESCRIPTION:Abstract\nThe perception and production of several prosodic phe
 nomena (stress\, intonation\, and rhythm) often pose a\nchallenge for adul
 t learners of a second language (Mennen\, 2015\; Jongman & Tremblay\, 2020
 ). Research has\nshown that while explicit instruction improves oral fluen
 cy and native-like rhythm in Anglophone L2 French\nlearners (Drouillet et 
 al\, 2024)\, implicit approaches\, such as the Verbo-Tonal Method\, enhanc
 e prosodic\nmastery in reading and spontaneous speech (Alazard et al.\, 20
 10\; Alazard\, 2013\; Saito & Plonsky\, 2019). To\nour knowledge\, no prio
 r studies\, however\, have compared explicit (otherwise known as Form-Base
 d\, FB)\nversus implicit (Meaning-Based\, MB) instruction effects on the p
 erception of difficult prosodic patterns in\necologically valid classroom 
 settings.This study addresses two questions: (1) To what extent are beginn
 er\nAnglophone learners sensitive to the prosodic cues distinguishing yes/
 no and wh-questions in French\, and how\ndoes this sensitivity change with
  training? (2) Which type of training\, Form-Based or Meaning-Based\, yiel
 ds\ngreater improvements in the perception of final melodic contours in L2
  French questions?\nThirteen English-speaking undergraduates enrolled in b
 eginner L2 French courses in the U.S. (ages\n18–21\; M = 19.9 y/o\; 8 wo
 men\, 5 men\; A1–A2 CEFR proficiency after one semester ~ 45–50 hours)
 \nparticipated in our study. Participants were randomly assigned to FB (n 
 = 7) or MB (n = 6) conditions\,\ncompleting 7.5 hours of standard curricul
 um instruction over two weeks.\nIn FB classes\, the instructor provided ex
 plicit metalinguistic corrections\, prompted self-correction\,\nreformulat
 ed learner output\, and used paralinguistic cues (gestures\, exaggerated i
 ntonation). MB classes\nemphasized recasts\, clarification requests\, and 
 implicit noticing of prosodic forms through communicative\ntasks. To asses
 s participants’ sensitivity to intonation\, 20 questions (10 yes/no and 
 10 wh-) were recorded\,\neach produced in three manipulated versions using
  PRAAT: canonical\, non-native 1\, and non-native 2. For\nyes/no questions
 \, the final f0 contour on the last syllable was modified to create (1) a 
 native-like late rise\n(L)H* H% (6–8 ST)\, (2) an over-amplified rise (L
 )H*HH% (+2–4 ST\, total 8–12 ST)\, and (3) a falling\ncontour L* L%. T
 he same three manipulations were applied to open wh- questions: (1) a nati
 ve-like fall L*\nL%\, (2) a rise H% (+6–8 ST)\, and (3) an over-amplifie
 d rise HH% (+2–4 ST).\nResults show that question type significantly inf
 luenced performance: wh-questions consistently proved\nmore challenging th
 an yes/no questions. MB training produced slightly stronger gains for inte
 rrogative\nintonation recognition\, particularly for distinguishing canoni
 cal falls from exaggerated rises in wh-questions.\nError patterns revealed
  persistent L1 influence\, with learners favoring exaggerated rises (HH%)\
 , which aligns\nwith previous studies on L2 learner preferences (Santiago 
 et al.\, 2014).\nOur results suggest that ecologically valid classroom pro
 sody training supports more consistent perceptual\npatterns for L2 French 
 interrogatives\, with Meaning-Based instruction showing modest advantages 
 over\nForm-Based approaches for melodic contour recognition. These finding
 s highlight the feasibility and value of\nearly prosodic instruction withi
 n standard beginner curricula\, addressing a critical gap in L2 acquisitio
 n.
DTSTAMP:20260419T082227Z
LOCATION:Online Session
SUMMARY:Training Effects on the Perception of Final Melodic Contours in L2 
 French Questions - Samantha Bellomo-Skvasik
URL:https://conference-hub.linguistic-society.com/athens-2026/talk/SFSYAK/
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