Acceptability in Danish and Finnish L2 speech

Abstract L2 pronunciation research has mainly focused on linguistic dimensions of speech, such as comprehensibility, intelligibility and accentedness . However, successful L2 communication also involves social dimensions, like acceptability or pleasantness . Moreover, L2 pronunciation research has mostly examined L2 English. This study addresses these gaps by examining how Finnish and Danish L1 speakers evaluate L2 speech comprehensibility, acceptability (operationalized as language switching and suitability for occupation), and pleasantness in their respective languages, as well as relationships between these dimensions. In Finnish, acceptability items were intercorrelated, and more strongly correlated to pleasantness than to comprehensibility. In the Danish data the two acceptability items were not intercorrelated. A statistically significant difference also emerged for acceptability in terms of language switching: Finnish L1 raters scored acceptability lower than Danish L1 raters. These results suggest that acceptability ratings are not only linguistic judgments, but also reflections of social inclusion, which may present differently in different contexts.