This study investigated the benefits of using stereotypical French accent imitation in English to improve French pronunciation learning. Results, which suggest modest improvement of voiceless plosive consonants and French /ʁ/, are explained in terms of learner proficiency level and practice duration.
One challenge of second language pronunciation learning consists in identifying points of reference for foreign sounds that are often very different from those in the native repertoire. Stereotypical accent, which is familiar and easily identifiable, may prove helpful. Indeed, American learners of French, who grew up with Disney movies, have accumulated implicit knowledge of the characteristics of French pronunciation through exposure to so-called French characters speaking English with a stereotypical French accent, such as Pepe le Pew or Beauty and the Beast's Lumière. In the present study, we investigate learners' knowledge of French stereotypical accent, and compare intermediate learners' pronunciation before and after training based on French stereotypical accent imitation.
Fourteen intermediate students enrolled in a French pronunciation course at an American university received explicit instruction on certain characteristics of French pronunciation (including French /ʁ/, the aspiration of /p/, /t/, and /k/, vowel stability, and intonation). They also practiced their pronunciation, some by imitating a model speaking English with a stereotypical French accent, and the others by following the traditional method of imitating a French native speaker speaking French. Their reading of a monologue and a dialogue before and after treatment allowed to assess the development of their French pronunciation.
The results of statistical tests suggest modest development of /ʁ/ and of /p/, /t/, and /k/. Results are explained in terms of learner proficiency level and practice duration.
