Speaker
Description
The number of people speaking English worldwide has surged from millions to billions over the past five centuries, resulting in English being used more often than not as the global language (as in the theories of Global Englishes). This has challenged any overemphasis on native-like competence in assessing learners’ pronunciation. Intelligibility – the speaker’s capacity to be understood across interlocutors of diverse linguistic backgrounds in global contexts – has proved a more relevant benchmark. Despite its relevance, little research has been done to explore teachers’ understanding of intelligibility, their attempts to implement it in pronunciation assessment practices, and the challenges facing them. Seeking to address these gaps, this qualitative study investigated higher education teachers’ perceptions of intelligibility-based assessment. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six pronunciation university teachers selected through convenience sampling. Thematic analysis revealed that all participants acknowledged the role of intelligibility in successful communication, evidenced in their efforts to shift focus of assessment onto mutual comprehension rather than on absolute accuracy. Additionally, they articulated considerable concerns about the scarcity of Global-Englishes-oriented training and resources and about the institutional pressures to comply with conventional accuracy-focused assessment criteria. Underscoring the needs for innovations in pronunciation assessment and instruction, the study recommended that professional training in intelligibility-based assessment be provided, pronunciation resources featuring different varieties of English be utilized, and existing curricula be refined to better integrate intelligibility into pronunciation assessment practices. Theoretically, this study contributes to the growing body of literature on reformed pronunciation assessment in Global-Englishes contexts amidst the era of globalization.
Biography
Author:
Nguyen Long Thanh holds an M.A. degree in English Linguistics with TESOL Concentration. He has been working as a lecturer in pronunciation, grammar and presentation skills at the Faculty of English Linguistics and Literature, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, for three years. His research interests include language skills pedagogy, English linguistics, international varieties of English, materials development, and language assessment.
Co-author:
Dang Thi Van Di currently works as a lecturer at the Department of English Language Teaching, Faculty of English Linguistics and Literature, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City. She holds a Master’s degree in TESOL. She has a wealth of experience in teaching language skills, learning and teaching materials development, and assessment. Her research interests focus on pronunciation pedagogy, international varieties of English, materials development, and language assessment.
