Fluency and use of segmental dialect features in the acquisition of a second language (French) by English speakers

This study investigates the use of two parameters, fluency and use of segmental dialect features (accent) to rate the overall ability of speakers of French as a second language. A group of ten native English Canadians read a short text of 139 words in French (their second language). Their degree of fluency was established by a combination of the following measures: speech rate (words/min, syll/min, syll/s), number and duration of pauses, and hesitations. We also investigated their use of various segmental dialect features such as diphthonguization of long vowels, affrication of /t d/, and high vowel deletion. These results were then compared to those of a group of ten native French speakers of the same region (Montreal).