Skip to main content
Article
Revisiting the Intelligibility and Nativeness Principles
Journal of Second Language Pronunciation
  • John Levis, Iowa State University
Document Type
Article
Publication Version
Accepted Manuscript
Publication Date
10-29-2020
DOI
10.1075/jslp.20050.lev
Abstract

Levis (2005) named two conflicting approaches to pronunciation teaching, the Nativeness Principle and the Intelligibility Principle. This paper revisits those two principles to argue for the superiority of the Intelligibility Principle in regard to where pronunciation fits within the wider field of language teaching, in how it effectively addresses teaching goals, in how it best addresses all contexts of L2 pronunciation learning, and in how it recognizes the reality of social consequences of pronunciation differences. In contrast, the Nativeness Principle, despite its long pedigree and many defenders, falls short by advocating native pronunciation for L2 learners, which is both unlikely to be achieved and unnecessary for effective communication in the L2.

Comments

This accepted article is published as Levis, J., Revisiting the Intelligibility and Nativeness Principles. Journal of Second Language Pronunciation, Oct 2020 doi: 10.1075/jslp.20050.lev. Posted with permission.

Copyright Owner
John Benjamins
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Citation Information
John Levis. "Revisiting the Intelligibility and Nativeness Principles" Journal of Second Language Pronunciation (2020)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/john-levis/23/