Workshop on "Feedback in Pronunciation Training"
Learning the correct pronunciation of a second language (L2) usually requires continual practice supervised by a teacher providing feedback on particular problems and, ideally, intensive interaction with native speakers. But very often, the tight schedule in L2 classrooms does not leave room for this time-consuming training. Computer-assisted pronunciation training (CAPT) systems seem to be a promising complement or alternative, giving students the possibility to practice oral skills and concentrate on specific problems, receive feedback on their pronunciation and listening skills, and work on problems in a self-determined pace.
This two-day workshop aims to bring together data-driven and experimental research lines and provide an exchange forum for discussions in order to gain a better understanding of the role of feedback in pronunciation training with a focus on CAPT. The workshop will consist of invited talks, oral presentations of ongoing research and discussion papers as well as an evaluation of current commercial CAPT systems.
The invited speakers are
- Catia Cucchiarini (Centre for Language and Speech Technology, Radboud University Nijmegen) –
"Automatic Speech Recognition and Feedback in Computer Assisted Pronunciation Training" - Helmer Strik (Centre for Language Studies (CLS), Centre for Language and Speech Technology (CLST), and Radboud Innovation, Radboud University Nijmegen; NovoLanguage Nijmegen) –
"ASR-based pronunciation metrics for eLearning and eTherapy" - Anne Hecksteden (Institute of Sports and Preventive Medicine, Saarland University) –
"Personalized Sports Medicine - Improving Accuracy and Efficacy from Primary Prevention to Elite Sports"
In particular, topics related to the following aspects are of interest:
- Impact of different feedback types (auditive vs. visual, implicit vs. explicit, positive vs. negative)
- Methods of diagnostics and assessment
- Selection and design of exercises
- Feedback timing (immediate vs. various delay times)
- Feedback on segmental or suprasegmental phenomena
- Individualization of feedback
- Different learning strategies
The workshop takes place on 5-6 November, 2015 at Hofgut Imsbach (www.hofgut-imsbach.de, Northern Saarland, Germany). The schedule can be found here. It is supported by DFG within the French-German project "Individualized Feedback for Computer-Assisted Spoken Language Learning" (IFCASL).
Due to space limitation, participation in the workshop is linked to a reviewed, accepted presentation, or upon invitation.
The sum of the costs will be 180 Euro consisting of the workshop fee (10 Euro) plus 170 Euro that have to be paid in the hotel when checking out. It covers one night in a single room, all meals and coffee breaks on both days (all drinks during lunch and dinner go extra).
Thank you all for a successful and interesting workshop!
Important dates
Abstract submission deadline: 20 September 2015
Notification of acceptance/rejection: 23 September 2015
Abstract re-submission deadline: 30 September
Registration deadline by email: 30 September 2015
Workshop date: 5-6 November 2015
Organizers
Jeanin Jügler, Saarland University
Jürgen Trouvain, Saarland University
Bernd Möbius, Saarland University