Listener Impressions of Foreigner-Directed Speech: A Systematic Review

Publication date: Available online 13 July 2019Source: Speech CommunicationAuthor(s): Kathrin Rothermich, Havan Leigh Harris, Kerry Sewell, Susan C. BobbAbstractNon-native speakers of a particular language face communicative challenges when interacting with native speakers in everyday life. A strategy frequently employed by native speakers to ensure smooth communication is speech accommodation in the form of foreigner-directed speech. Most of the research on foreigner-directed speech has focused on acoustic parameters, but few studies have examined non-native listener perceptions. This systematic review evaluates the published evidence for listener impressions of foreigner-directed speech. A systematic search of six databases and key journals identified 3,581 articles, eight of which met the inclusion criteria. Data were independently extracted and reviewed by two authors. The results show that by and large, native speakers perceived foreigner-directed speech negatively. Only two out of eight articles specifically asked foreigners about the listener impressions of foreigner-directed speech, and the results of these studies were not conclusive. Our findings demonstrate a need for research to further examine the nature of this phenomenon, particularly by focusing on non-native speaker's impressions of foreigner-directed speech.

Source: Speech Communication - July 13, 2019 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Source Type: research