Phonetic flexibility and phonetic compliance: an experimental approach to assessing individual aptitude for L2 phonetic acquisition
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3989/loquens.2026.e131Keywords:
phonetic flexibility, convergence, phonetic compliance, pronunciation, phonetic correctionAbstract
In this paper we introduce the concept of phonetic flexibility, understood as a speaker’s ability to adapt their phonetic behavior to the internal and external constraints of a given communicative situation. It then explores various phenomena related to this flexibility, with a particular focus on phonetic convergence in the first language (L1) and phonetic compliance in a foreign language (L2). The chapter goes on to present the results of experimental studies that highlight the role of phonetic compliance in second language (L2) pronunciation learning. First, it demonstrates how a methodology for assessing phonetic compliance can be applied to a sample of 41 beginner Spanish-speaking learners of French, allowing for the identification of different compliance profiles and the formation of four experimental groups balanced according to this variable. Second, it examines how these different profiles respond to targeted pedagogical interventions aimed at improving the pronunciation of French vowels. Finally, the chapter discusses the theoretical and didactic implications of the findings, particularly in relation to the broader aptitude for phonetic flexibility.
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