Theoretical and Practical Developments in English Speech Assessment, Research, and Training

This edited book presents and discusses theoretical, practical, and research developments in English pronunciation in order to establish evidence-based directions and recommendations for best practices in English speech assessment, research, and training. It features leading pronunciation experts from diverse contexts who share cutting-edge research and valuable insights. The collection consists of six parts. Part 1 introduces the aims, focus, and structure of the book, and describes its intended audience. Part 2 reviews, provides empirical evidence, and offers critical analyses guiding different aspects of English speech assessment. Parts 3 and 4 report empirical findings and research perspectives on the perception and production of English speech. Part 5 shares current practices in phonetic training and their effect on learners and listeners. Part 6 presents theoretical perspectives on the acquisition of phonology in multilinguals. 

Veronica G. Sardegna, Ph.D., is Adjunct Faculty at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, USA. For two decades, she has taught a wide range of ESL, English pronunciation, and teacher education courses at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Pittsburgh, and Duquesne University. Her research interests are in the areas of English pronunciation and business and academic writing, intercultural learning, and instructional technology. Specifically, she evaluates learning outcomes in these areas by investigating the effects of individual learner variables, strategy use, and technology use (including computer-mediated and learning technology tools) on instructed and autonomous learning contexts. She has published a book (The Practiced Business Writer: An ESL/EFL Handbook, 2009), and numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals and prestigious edited collections. Dr. Sardegna is also frequently invited for plenary speeches and expert panels at international conferences, and has been a leader for International TESOL since 2013. In 2021, she received the D. Scott Enright Interest Section Award for her outstanding service to TESOL.Anna Jarosz, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor in the Department of English Language and Applied Linguistics at the University of Łódź in Poland, where she conducts research and teaches courses on English phonetics and phonology, practical phonetics, and pronunciation instruction in teacher trainee programs. Her professional interests include pronunciation teaching and learning, phonetics, and second language acquisition with a focus on individual learner differences, motivation, and strategy use among English as a foreign language learners. Dr. Jarosz has recently published a monograph entitled English Pronunciation in L2 Instruction. The Case of Secondary School Learners (Springer, 2019). Since 2019, Dr. Jarosz has been organizing the International Conference on Native and Non-Native Accents (Accents) in Poland.