Measurements for Accentedness, Pause and Nuclear Stress Placement in the EFL Context

Abstract

This study reports on an experimental research conducted with 50 Spanish-L1 college students, divided into 2 groups (A and B). They were presented with a teacher-centered approach based on controlled exercises, but group B received an awareness-building component in which students completed a sequence of tasks with a focus on phonological form. Both groups recorded a speaking test before and after instruction which was used to measure and compare degrees of accentedness, frequency and duration of pauses and nuclear stress placement.