Perceptual, Affective and Cognitive Factors of L2 Pronunciation and Foreign Accent. A Survey with Italian University Students Majoring in Languages

This contribution investigates the opinions of 372 first-year students from Ca’ Foscari University of Venice about pronunciation and foreign accent in the languages chosen as main subjects. Although a native-like accent is highly valued, students do not simply equate good and accent-free pronunciation. They are confident in assessing the pronunciation of other L2 speakers but show considerable uncertainty about self-assessment and pronunciation deficits. L2 pronunciation is mostly associated with pleasure for them. The main predictor of responses is proficiency level, followed by target languages, linguistic biography and motivation for enrolling in the course.