On Friday, February 28, 2025, LEAL had the pleasure of hosting Professor Cristina Aliaga-García for a seminar titled Introduction to Acoustic Analysis in L2 Speech.
Cristina Aliaga-García (Ph.D., Universitat de Barcelona) is a researcher and lecturer in phonetics and second language acquisition at the University of Barcelona and a member of the Barcelona L2 Speech Research Group. Her research focuses on phonetic training methods, including High-Variability Phonetic Training (HVPT) and imitation training, as well as the assessment of L2 speech perception and production. She specializes in the acoustic analysis of segmental and suprasegmental features of L2 speech and the role of listener perceptions in shaping comprehensibility, accentedness, fluency, and intelligibility. Her current work examines the impact of phonetic training and instruction on these global dimensions of pronunciation. She has presented her research at international conferences such as New Sounds and EuroSLA and has published in leading peer-reviewed journals, including Studies in Second Language Acquisition, Phonetics, and the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, as well as with renowned publishers such as Cambridge University Press and Peter Lang.
The session explored essential techniques in acoustic analysis and their application to second language (L2) speech research:
Introduction to Acoustic Analysis in L2 Speech: Analyzing speech production with Praat
Acoustic analysis is a valuable tool for diagnosing and assessing L2 speech production, offering objective insights into learners’ pronunciation accuracy and overall proficiency. This hands-on seminar will introduce participants to practical methods for analyzing key acoustic features of L2 speech, focusing on Voice Onset Time (VOT) and vowel accuracy—two salient indicators of comprehensibility, accentedness, and speech development.
With an emphasis on practical application, the session will provide step-by-step guidance on manual methods of acoustic analysis using Praat to extract and interpret segmental measurements from spectrograms. Participants will explore how these acoustic parameters can be used to assess pronunciation accuracy and track improvement over time. Additionally, we will briefly examine the evolution of acoustic analysis from traditional manual methods to more automated approaches using Praat scripts, enabling large-scale data analysis.
By the end of the seminar, attendees will have developed essential skills in acoustic analysis as a tool for L2 speech assessment, gaining hands-on experience in diagnosing pronunciation patterns and evaluating speech development in response to instruction and training.
We sincerely thank Prof. Aliaga-García for this enriching talk and look forward to future collaborations.
Read more: https://web.unican.es/centros/educacion/anuncios/detalle?num=216