Pronunciation for Less Commonly Taught Languages: Teaching Beliefs and Practices

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Evidence has mounted for the effectiveness of second language pronunciation instruction. Given the critical role instructors play in implementing effective instruction, one line of inquiry has been to better understand instructors’ beliefs and practices as they relate to second language pronunciation teaching and learning. A critical gap, however, is that such research has focused primarily on English, with only limited focus on languages other than English. Amongst languages other than English, there remains next to no emphasis on less commonly taught languages. Such languages should be of interest given a well-documented dearth of quality instructional materials. This study investigated less commonly taught language instructors’ perspectives on and incorporation of pronunciation instruction in the language classroom. A total of 169 less commonly taught language instructors of Arabic (n = 30), Japanese (n = 54), Korean (n = 38), and Russian (n = 47) from medium to large public universities in the United States completed an online survey during spring and fall 2024. The survey featured four primary sections: classroom practices, teaching beliefs, pronunciation acquisition/learning beliefs, and participant background. Findings indicated that less commonly taught language instructors were highly qualified and experienced, more so than previously reported findings for those who teach French, German, or Spanish. Although instructors believed pronunciation could indeed improve, they showed ambivalence regarding the effects of instruction. Additionally, instructors reported that on average 19% of class time was spent teaching pronunciation, despite limited pre-existing materials and a lack of confidence in developing their own. Although slightly nuanced differences were identified, major trends were generally stable across less commonly taught languages.