A Study on the Inclusion of Pronunciation Instruction　in the Foreign Language Classroom

Research on instruction of pronunciation in a foreign language setting has seen an　increase in recent decades, but often this research focuses specifically on the acquisition of English pronunciation. This paper aims to investigate the direction that research based on the acquisition of pronunciation has taken up to this point. Further, this paper aims to specifically explore whether the vast progress made in research for English pronunciation acquisition can be utilized in a non-English foreign language classroom setting.

The study first explores largely research on English pronunciation acquisition to date,　including research that has validated the necessity of pronunciation research. It then focuses specifically on the comparatively small amount of research that has been done in improving Japanese pronunciation for non-native learners as a possible spring-board for future research. The fourth section suggests future directions for research in pronunciation acquisition of foreign languages besides English, using the previous Japanese language based research as a model. The final section provides an example of a possible study in Japanese pronunciation utilizing the suggestions in the fourth section.