Do Nonnatives Really Understand American English? The Results of Testing Their Suprasegmental Comprehension

Many linguists and educators believe both the listener’s comprehension and the speaker’s production of suprasegmental features are essential to effective oral communication. Jones (1997) and McGillick (1995) explained that suprasegmental features such as intonation and stress affect not only lexical comprehension, but how the listener perceives the attitude of the speaker as well. Consequently, it is vital that nonnatives seeking employment and residence in the U.S. comprehend the diversity of messages conveyed by the suprasegmental features of English. When nonnatives lack this comprehension, interaction with native speakers can often lead to misunderstandings and negative consequences.Many researchers emphasize the importance of suprasegmentals in communicative competence and several offer methods to teach them to nonnatives. Unfortunately, however, few provide information regarding testing of these essential linguistic devices. This research offers a contextualized instrument that tested nonnative student comprehension of many aspects of the suprasegmentals of American English. The statistical results reported in this study could inform TESOL methodology, both in teaching and in testing our nonnative students.

Thesis Author: Feathers, Alice L.

Year Completed: 2003

Committee Members: Diane Strong-Krause, Melvin Luthy

Thesis Chair: Lynn Henrichsen