The conference will bring together researchers and teachers of English, phonetics, phonology and EFL/ESL/EAP interested in the issues surrounding English pronunciation, both native and non-native. Discussions will cover a wide variety of issues, including (but not limited to) the following: norms & reference accents, variability in native & non-native accents of English, methodology of accent studies, pedagogical implications, implications of phonological change, sociolinguistic aspects and issues of identity, analyses of national or regional language policy.

We are pleased to announce our international conference English Pronunciation: Issues & Practices. The conference will bring together researchers and teachers of English, phonetics, phonology and EFL/ESL/EAP interested in the issues surrounding English pronunciation, both native and non-native. Discussions will cover a wide variety of issues, including (but not limited to) the following:           

• norms  & reference accents
• variability in native & non-native accents of English
• methodology of accent studies
• pedagogical implications
• implications of phonological change
• sociolinguistic aspects and issues of identity
• analyses of national or regional language policy

We are privileged to have three plenary speakers:

• Professor J.C. Wells will speak about the polling carried out for the new edition of the Longman Pronunciation Dictionary.
• Dr. Helen Fraser will speak about Cognitive Phonology and how it can help with teaching pronunciation.
• Professor Yvan Rose, Memorial University of Newfoundland and Collegium de Lyon, will introduce the Phon software and PhonBank database and discuss how they can benefit research on the phonology of second language acquisition.

Registration Deadline: April 30, 2009

Preliminary Programme, EPIP June 3-5 2009

N.B. : This programme is subject to modifications.

Wednesday June 3: Plenary by J.C. Wells

Morning: Registration opens

1 - 6:30 pm Conference: plenary & presentations, coffee break

1:30-2:30 Opening Plenary by J.C. Wells: the polling carried out for the new edition of the Longman Pronunciation Dictionary

2:30-3:05

High Variability Phonetic Training as L2 Pedagogy: Findings, Prospects, and Challenges, Tom Sawallis, University of Alabama, USA

A corpus-based study of phonological free variation in English, José Mompéan, University of Murcia, Spain

3:05-3:40

Increasing English Pronunciation Knowledge/Ability with Learner-Designed Pronunciation Stations, James M. Perren, Eastern Michigan University, USA

The Acquisition of Onset Clusters in L2 English: Research and Pedagogical Implications, Walcir Cardoso, Concordia University, Montréal, Canada & Paul John, Université du Quebec, Montréal, Canada

3:40-4:10 COFFEE BREAK

4:10-4:45

Phonology and Moodle : Enhancing pronunciation through learning platform-based training?, Angela Hahn, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany

The Parametric Phonetics of Allophonic Variation in English /l/, Mitsuhiro Nakamura,  Nihon University, Tokyo, Japan

4:45-5:20

Pronunciation and oral exercises in ten Finnish EFL textbooks, Elina Tergujeff, University of Jyväskylä, Finland

Intrusive /r/ in English: Evidence from intensity curves, Rachael Knight, City University, London, England

5:20-5:55

English pronunciation teaching in the Irish EFL classroom: Challenges and opportunities, Deirdre Murphy, Trinity, Dublin, Ireland

Acoustic correlates of rhoticity strength in varieties of English  , Leendert Plug, University of Leeds, England

5:55-6:30

Conference papers: how far can an 18-hour preparation course help?, Jean-Paul Narcy-Combes, Université de Paris 3, France

The Role of Temporal Parameters in the Implementation of the Voicing Contrast in English and Polish, Arkadiusz Rojczyk, University of Silesia, Poland

Thursday June 4: Plenary by Helen Fraser

8:30am - 12:30 pm Conference: plenary & presentations, coffee break

LUNCH

2 – 5:30 pm Conference: presentations, coffee break

CONFERENCE DINNER

8:30-9:05

The Pedagogical Implications of Variability in Transcription : The Case of /i/ and /u/, Sophie Herment, Université de Provence, Aix-en-Provence, France

Learning English in an L1 Context: A Study of the Production and Perception of English Stops as Realized by Malay Speakers, Shahidi Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

9:05-9:40

Cultural and emotional factors in learning (and teaching) pronunciation, Daniel Huber, Université de Paris 3, France

Francophone h-epenthesis: Conditioning factors and pedagogical strategies, Paul John, Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada

9:35-10:45 Plenary by Helen Fraser: Cognitive Phonology and how it can help with teaching pronunciation.

10:45-11:15 COFFEE BREAK

11:15-11:50

Does rhythm matter? Selected observations on the effect of rhythm on spoken proficiency in non-native English, Ewa Waniek-Klimczak, University of Lodz, Poland

The Vowels of Malaysian English: Issues and Implications for Teaching Pronunciation, Stefanie Pillai, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The accents of European English: An On-line Experiment, Rias van den Doel, Utrecht University, The Netherlands

11:50-12:25

Intonation, Professor JC Wells

The effect of task on the pronunciation of English high front vowels by Japanese learners, Rika Aoki, University of Tokyo, Japan

Online-conducted Phonetic Experiment for Foreign Accent Ratings, Anastazija Kirkova, Ss Cyril and Methodius University - Skopje, Macedonia

12:25-2 LUNCH

2-2:35

How could English really become a new Latin?, Sylwia Scheuer, Université de Paris 3, France

Phonological interferences of Urdu in Pakistani English, Tenzila Khan, Université Paris 13, France

2:35-3:10

The History of South African English, Ian Bekker, Rhodes University, South Africa

Pre-tonic vs. Post-tonic syncope in English: what do spoken English corpora tell us?, Gabor Turcsan, Université de Provence, Aix-en-Provence, France

3:10-3:45

Pronunciation matters: using English for international business communication, P.M. Rogerson-Revell, University of Leicester, England

Acquisition of English Syllable Structure as a Foreign Language by Iranian Farsi and Laki Speakers, Z. Fotovatnia, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran

3:45-4:15 COFFEE BREAK

4:15-4:50

What makes native-like speakers special? An empirical research on factors influencing L2 pronunciation, Angelovska Tanja, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany

Synforms Perception by Persian-Speaking Learners of English, Z. Fotovatnia, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran

4:50-5:25

French and British comprehension and identification of British regional varieties, Kizzi Edensor, Université de Provence, d’Aix-en-Provence, France

Prefix sub- and Stress Placement : sub-Rules?, Véronique Abasq, Université François Rabelais de Tours, France

Friday June 5, Plenary by Yvan Rose

9:30 – 12:10 pm Conference: plenary & presentations, coffee break

12:15-12:30 pm Closing

9:30-10:40  Plenary by Yvan Rose: Phon software and PhonBank database and how they can benefit research on the phonology of second language acquisition.

10:40-11 COFFEE BREAK

11-11:35

Towards more effective pronunciation instruction: maximizing accuracy and oral fluency, Bertha Chela-Flores, Universidad Simón Bolívar, Caracas, Venezuela

The Perception of Word Stress in English and French: Which cues for native English and French speakers?, Dan Frost,  IUT 2, Grenoble, France

11:35-12:10

Incorporating research findings into L2 pronunciation materials: A computer-mediated approach, Ron Thomson, Brock University, Ontario

English syllable division and performance errors by French speakers, Nicolas Ballier, Université Paris 13, France

12:15 CLOSING

Abstracts, registration forms and other information are available on the conference Web site:

http://www.lls.univ-savoie.fr/index.php?dossier_nav=739