ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews research findings on listener background characteristics that influence evaluations of L2 accented speech, and discusses how these findings may affect both listeners and raters when evaluating speech. It describes how listener/rater background characteristics may influence oral language proficiency score assignment. The chapter provides a historical context for issues related to accentedness, intelligibility, and comprehensibility of L2 speech. It also reviews theoretical and empirical research in speech perception and language testing in order to highlight the list of listener background characteristics that influence evaluations of L2 accented speech. The chapter recommends new directions for research on listener background characteristics in pronunciation and speaking assessment, with respect to: the practical impact of listener background characteristics on rater performance as compared to other sources of rater bias; the effectiveness of rater training on intelligibility and comprehensibility judgments; and individual differences of intelligibility and comprehensibility judgments among everyday listeners and the implications for pronunciation rating and rater training.
