Feedback in Computer Assisted Pronunciation Training: When technology meets pedagogy

This paper is organized around two main endeavours. On the one hand, we examine currently available Computer Assisted Pronunciation Training (CAPT) systems with a view to establishing whether they meet pedagogically sound requirements. In this respect, we show that many commercial systems tend to prefer technological novelties to the detriment of pedagogical criteria that could benefit the learner more. On the other hand, we more narrowly focus on the crucial issue of computer-generated feedback, which still represents a big challenge for state-of-the-art CAPT technology and discuss its impact on learning. In the final part of the paper, we present the PROO project (Programma voor Onderwijsonderzoek), which is aimed at establishing the effects of erroneous feedback on the acquisition of L2 pronunciation.