Posters

Prosodic measures of intonation: Implications for a proficiency examination for Brazilian EFL teachers

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Abstract

Despite its pivotal role in ESL/EFL comprehensibility, intonation is only vaguely described in proficiency scales. This gap may stem from the multiple prosodic features that interact in the realization of intonation, rendering its description a complex task. In this exploratory study, we acoustically analyzed 12 prosodic variables to better specify and differentiate the construct of intonation across proficiency levels in a pronunciation scale used in the Proficiency Examination for Foreign Language Teachers (EPPLE). The oral performances of 23 EPPLE test-takers were analyzed according to the Autosegmental-Metrical framework. Although the results for high pitch accents and pitch range were statistically significant, they did not consistently distinguish proficiency levels. Overall, our findings suggest the need for methodological refinements and further validation with more balanced samples.

Keywords: prosody, intonation, oral proficiency, pronunciation assessment, EFL teachers

How to Cite:

Cialdini, M. M., & Consolo, D. A. (2026). Prosodic measures of intonation: Implications for a proficiency examination for Brazilian EFL teachers. In P. Trofimovich, A. Bodea, T.-N. N. Le, R. Suzuki, & C. Teló (Eds.), Proceedings of the 16th Pronunciation in Second Language Learning and Teaching Conference (pp. 1–11). Concordia University, Montreal, Canada, October 2025. https://doi.org/10.31274/psllt.21271