Abstract:

Although research on the use and effectiveness of visual feedback for teaching tone and intonation began more than thirty years ago, the technology for signal analysis and pitch extraction using microcomputers has only recently become widely accessible and affordable. This paper 1) reviews the major pedagogical applications of acoustic phonetic research for teaching segmentals (individual sounds) and suprasegmentals (intonation, stress, rhythm); 2) summaries the hardware and software currently available for speech analysis on the Macintosh and IBM-PCs, and 3) discusses courseware features that should be included in implementing this new technology to help foreign language students improve their production and perception of tone and intonation.

Author: Dorothy Chun