The Perception and Production of English Intonation by Serbian EFL Learners: the Effect of Audio-visual Training and Explicit Instruction

Abstract

Contemporary EFL studies underscore the importance of successful acquisition of both segmental and suprasegmental features of L2, since they are essential in improving learners’ perceptual and productive skills, further contributing to the enhancement of a speaker’s intelligibility and the overall favourable impression they make on an interlocutor. Appropriate phonetic training, even at earlier stages of learning has been recognized as fundamental in increasing students’ awareness and developing the necessary knowledge for mastery of the structure of English tone-units. The present study thus sought to gain possible insight into the effectiveness of providing learners with appropriate visual cues as well as auditory training regarding English intonation and to investigate the effect of explicit instruction and consistent corrective feedback on the development of perception and production of English intonation. A total of 28 secondary school English learners from a private school in Jagodina participated in the study, out of which 16 underwent a two-month long intonation training. The data for analysis were obtained via pre-test and post-test examinations of their overall proficiency as well as questionnaire distributed after the completion of the experimental period.