The Real Trouble Spots in the Perception of English

Second or foreign language (L2) auditory perception tends to be problematic because first language (L1) transfer leads to numerous auditory mistakes. These mistakes have complicated origins but learners seem to ascribe them above all to speech rate. On the other hand, in the field of second language pedagogy, the trend since the 1990s has been to think of listening in terms of something that occurs in combination with reading, writing and speaking. Yet, the exercises of many listening materials are still essentially traditional in design. Task-based activities seem to be appropriate to increase learners\u27 listening skills but actually they are not enough.Teachers should understand the underlying reasons for auditory mistakes made by learners.Error analysis,the procedure of describing and explaining errors,has played an important part in creating a sounder perspective of the learning process. In this article,I have analyzed the results of a dictation test given to 56 students at Konan University in Japan.I will mainly discuss some of the trouble spots related to suprasegmental features but will also mention some other findings derived from the analysis.I will also argue that this type of analysis is helpful in teaching listening for better communication and suggest some activities effective to improve listening skills