This study investigated whether short-term training in musical rhythm enhances second language (L2) pronunciation skills, including rhythm, speaking rate, pitch range, and vowel length contrast (/ɪ/ and /i/). We also examined how pronunciation features interact in rhythmic training outcomes and how individual differences—language proficiency, phonological short-term memory (pSTM), and rhythmic ability—affect improvement. Twenty university students, all native Japanese speakers, participated in a pre-test, practice session, and post-test. They performed under two conditions in the practice session: a with-rhythm condition, in which they first repeated a musical rhythm that matched the rhythmic pattern of an auditorily presented sentence and then repeated the sentence, and a without-rhythm condition, in which sentences were repeated without rhythmic musical cues. Acoustic analyses showed that rhythmic priming significantly enhanced pronunciation, particularly in rhythm and vowel length contrast. Rhythm improvement correlated positively with vowel contrast but negatively with pitch range, suggesting cognitive load effects on speech processing. Moreover, individual differences influenced learning outcomes; pSTM predicted greater rhythm improvement in the with-rhythm condition, whereas English proficiency was a stronger predictor in the without-rhythm condition. These findings highlight the role of the pronunciation method using rhythmic priming in L2 phonetic instruction, particularly for duration-related pronunciation features, and emphasize the importance of tailoring this method to learners’ cognitive profiles to optimize pronunciation learning.
Abstract 초록 Introduction The Effects of Rhythm on L1 Perception and Production: A Theoretical Background The Effects of Rhythm on L2 Pronunciation The Effect of Cognitive Abilities on L2 Pronunciation The Problematic English Pronunciation Features for Japanese Learners Present Study Method Participants Materials Results Correlation Between Variables Discussion Research Question 1: How effectively can adult learners acquire L2 pronunciation skills (rhythm, speaking rate, pitch range, vowel length contrast) through musical rhythm that match the prosody of the following sentence? Research Question 2: Are there connections between different pronunciation features and the outcome in the with-rhythm condition? If so, what kind? Research Question 3: Are there connections between learners’ IDs (language ability, pSTM capacity, rhythmic ability) and the outcome in the with-rhythm condition (regarding rhythm)? If so, what kind? Conclusion and Implications Acknowledgements The Authors References
The goals of Asia TEFL are to promote scholarship, disseminate information, and facilitate cross-cultural understanding among persons concerned with the teaching and learning of English in Asia. In order to accomplish this, Asia TEFL will pursue the following goals:
1. To link ELT professionals in joint research on issues and concerns regarding English teaching and learning in the Asian context.
2. To publish an academic journal, The Asia TEFL Journal, as an internationally recognized journal in the field of English language teaching.
3. To host conferences and seminars addressing important issues concerning ELT in Asia.
4. To develop proficiency guidelines and assessment methods designed for the needs of the Asian context.
5. To develop programs for Asian learners and teachers of English to build their English language proficiency and cultural understanding and provide them with the skills required to be efficient English teaching professionals.
간행물
간행물명
The Journal of AsiaTEFL
간기
계간
pISSN
1738-3102
eISSN
2466-1511
수록기간
2004~2026
등재여부
SCOPUS,KCI 등재
십진분류
KDC 740DDC 420
이 권호 내 다른 논문 / The Journal of AsiaTEFL Vol.22 No.1