Raising awareness of L2 phonology: explicit instruction and the acquisition of aspirated /p/ by Brazilian Portuguese speakers

Abstract

Currently, there has been a large number of studies involving pronunciation and pronunciation teaching. However, the role of explicit instruction has received very little attention in this field. This research study aims to investigate the effects of explicit instruction on the production of the voiceless plosive /p/ in word-initial position in English. We have carried out quantitative analyses involving 12 Brazilian native speakers who have been studying English as a second language. Participants were divided in 2 groups: (a) an Experimental Group, which received contextualized pronunciation classes on aspiration; and (b) a Control Group, which did not receive any kind of instruction. Prior to classes, participants took a production test both in English and in Portuguese, which allowed us to measure their Voice Onset Time (VOT) values in milliseconds (ms). Following the instruction classes, participants took the same test again, so that their progress could be assessed. The tests consisted of a list of words with word-initial /p/ as well as distracters. Our data show that explicit instruction contributed to an increase in the averages of VOT produced by the participants in the Experimental Group. On the other hand, the Control Group did not produce the aspirated /p/ in a target-like manner. Overall, explicit instruction with contextualization has proved to have a positive effect on the acquisition of aspirated /p/ by Brazilian speakers.