Foreign accent originates in the influence of the phonology and orthography of the native language on foreign language production. Although a lot is known about the origins of foreign accents, the very large variability in foreign accent markers and strength across individuals has been very little studied. Yet, exploring individual variability is fundamental to our understanding of the origins of foreign accentedness and effective tools to improve speakers’ pronunciation. This project aims to identify the key factors that cause foreign accents and create targeted training programs to improve foreign speech sound production in a personalised way.
(i) To show that auditory acuity, body awareness, cognitive control skills and synchronisation capacities are key factors explaining foreign accent strength; (ii) to demonstrate that specific training on those skills can improve foreign speech sound production.
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Bridging Communication Gaps in Human and Human-AI Interactions: The Role of Accented Speech on Neurocognitive mechanisms and Social Dynamics