5. Conclusion and outlook

In English, a language with free lexical stress, words have different stress patterns. The stress placement of a word can be detected with the auditory and the acoustic method. In order to investigate words or utterances with the acoustic method, the speech analysis software Praat can be used. With the help of Praat, words and utterances can be recorded and subsequently analysed. The duration of a syllable or vowel can be measured as well as the intensity, the pitch height or the formants.

In a mini-project both the auditory and the acoustic method were tested. Speakers had to read out words that differ in RP and GA regarding their stress placement. Subsequently, the speakers had to state which variant of English they prefer. The aim was to state whether the investigated speakers are consistent in their usage of the chosen variety in the case of the recorded words. Both the auditory and the acoustic method showed that the speakers show only a slight tendency to use the stress pattern characteristic of their preferred variety. There are various reasons why German speakers of English are not always consistent in their usage of the chosen variant. These reasons are suitable for a further analysis. For instance, the varying input of English through teachers and lecturers as well as through the media can be investigated through questionnaires. Further analyses can also investigate to what extent the L1 (German) influences the stress placement of L2 speakers of English.

It should be considered that within the limits of the mini-project, only 16 speakers were investigated and 6 words per speaker were analysed. In a broader study, more speakers can be recorded and at best, utterances or sentences instead of words should be recorded so that the artificial speaking situation is mitigated.

Using both the auditory and the acoustic method showed that both methods have strengths and shortcomings. The auditory method is very easy to carry out since there is little time expenditure. On the other hand, various studies have proved that this method is not very reliable and valid. Consequently, in order to achieve results that fulfill the quality criteria, the acoustic method should be executed although it is more time-consuming and demands expertise in the usage of the software and in the field of phonetic and phonological features at the suprasegmental level.

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