A Preliminary Study of Applying Shadowing Technique to English Intonation Instruction

口譯跟述技巧運用於英語語調教學之初探研究

現今英語發音的訓練技巧著重於單字與單句，造成英語為外語之學習者（EFL）缺乏機會練習語調。語調訓練的重要性與必須性遭到低估，由此可見發展第二語言語調教學法的迫切性。此篇研究透過14位臺灣大學非英語系的大四學生為實驗對象，分別分為控制與實驗組進行測試，目的在於了解口譯中的跟述技巧（shadowing skill）可否促進英語語調的學習。SPSS 獨立樣本 t檢定的結果顯示兩組中在語調、流暢度、單字發音、與整體發音的均數上呈現顯著。根據實驗結果，本研究在結論部分指出運用口譯技巧於英語語調教學的含義，同時亦提出給未來相關研究的相關建議。

The current training techniques on English pronunciation put emphasis on isolated words or sentences, resulting in the lack of opportunities for EFL learners to practice intonation. It has been noted that the importance and necessity of intonation training have been undervalued, and empirical studies on developing second language (L2) intonation pedagogy are urgently needed. This preliminary study aims to find out whether shadowing technique from interpretation practice can be used to promote English intonation acquisition. Fourteen non-English major students from National Taiwan University (NTU) were recruited and divided into control and experimental groups. The result from a SPSS Independent Sample T-test revealed significant differences between the two groups in intonation, fluency, word pronunciation, and overall pronunciation. The paper ends with a discussion on the implication of applying interpreting skills to intonation training and directions for future research.