Project description
The sound of fluency: training Portuguese prosody
Mastering a second language like Portuguese involves more than vocabulary; prosody – the rhythm and melody of speech – is vital for being clearly understood. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the MusePro project will introduce an innovative approach that uses musical training to help learners better perceive and produce Portuguese speech patterns. By combining traditional pronunciation exercises with musical techniques, researchers will test how native English and Mandarin speakers adapt and whether musical aptitude influences their success. The project will also use eye-tracking technology to measure the mental effort required during learning. Additional project objectives include creating new teaching resources that improve overall communication skills, helping learners integrate into new cultures, while providing a model for learning other languages globally.
Objective
Objectives: This multisession and crosslinguistic study will develop and assess the effectiveness of an innovative training approach: musical prosodic training on prosody learning in L2 Portuguese. The objectives are to examine (1) the role of musical prosodic training on the learning of L2 prosody perception and production, (2) the cross-linguistic transfer in prosodic features, and (3) how individual differences affect the L2 prosodic training effects.
Methods: First, the musical prosodic training will integrate the existing L2 pronunciation training paradigms and musical training approach to improve learners’ L2 prosody. Second, the learning outcome will be measured using traditional offline/static (e.g. rating, annotation) and innovative online/dynamic methods. I will use the innovative eye-tracking technique – pupillometry – to test the online perception efforts in L2 prosody and model the prosody production with a dynamic statistic method – Generalized Additive Mixed Model. Third, I will include learners with typologically different linguistic backgrounds (i.e. English and Mandarin speakers) to validate the cross-linguistic influence on L2 prosody. Fourth, I will assess the learners’ musical aptitude as individual measures to determine if better aptitude leads to a better learning outcome.
Relevance: The results of the proposal will provide novel data beyond the L2 speech sounds towards the L2 speech prosody to enrich the L2 speech learning theory. It will advance the pedagogical resources for L2 prosody, which will help learners improve their overall L2 pronunciation proficiency for better integration into the target L2 society and/or L2 culture. Finally, the results of the proposal will be transferable to the prosodic learning of other L2s, which is relevant to the multilingual world: not only Portugal but also the EU and beyond.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
1600-214 Lisboa
Portugal
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.