Towards a Conceptualization of Intelligibility of English as an International Language

Historical Definitions and Contemporary Trends

Authors

  • Marco Sandro Ugarte Olea Universidad de Concepción
  • Mauricio A. Figueroa Candia Universidad de Concepción
  • Eladio Donoso Universidad Católica del Norte https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8961-2489

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.48162/rev.57.027

Keywords:

intelligibility, L2 pronunciation, lingua franca core, English as a lingua franca, native speaker norm

Abstract

The fact that non-native English speakers have outnumbered native ones demands a shift in regard to pedagogical practices in English Language Teaching (ELT) (Caine, 2008; Rose et al., 2020), especially in relation to pronunciation (Isaacs, 2018; Pennington, 2021), which has traditionally set forth the importance of nativelikeness. Nowadays, the discussion, still open, centers around intelligibility-based pronunciation. The present article presents a review and examination of what has been defined as intelligibility by the most salient authors along seven decades. Although it has been associated with various other terms such as effectiveness (Catford, 1950), comprehension (Smith & Rafiqzad, 1979), comprehensibility (James, 1998; Munro & Derwing, 1995b; Smith & Nelson, 1985), interpretability (Smith, 1992; Smith & Nelson, 1985), understandability (Kenworthy, 1987), communication (Kenworthy, 1987), and communicativity (James, 1998), there seems to be a consensus that intelligibility is a complex phenomenon that involves production and recognition/reception of oral language. This review intends to aid L2 pronunciation teachers in determining their own stance and standards to be applied in their own pedagogical practices.

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Author Biographies

Marco Sandro Ugarte Olea, Universidad de Concepción

Involved in EFL teacher training programs in Chile for over 17 years. His main interest is the teaching of English pronunciation to EFL learners, mainly those whose L1 is Spanish. He currently holds a scholarship granted by the Chilean Research and Development Agency to pursue a doctoral degree in linguistics at Universidad de Concepción, Chile. His doctoral research project is on the transfer of the Spanish phonemes /b d g/ lenition into L2 English and its impact on intelligibility. He also holds a scholarship from Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo/Programa de Becas/Beca de Doctorado Nacional 2019 folio 21191343.

Mauricio A. Figueroa Candia, Universidad de Concepción

Assistant Professor in the Department of Spanish at Universidad de Conception, Chile. His research focuses on Speech Sciences, more specifically on the use of quantitative methods to address segmental problems of the phonetic and phonological domain, both in Spanish and Chilean native languages, with emphasis on Mapudungun and Kawésqar. Most of his research can be framed in the domains of sociolinguistics and ethnolinguistics. In the postgraduate programs in linguistics, his teaching focuses on research methods for production and perception studies. Currently, he is the Director of the PhD in Linguistics of his university.

Eladio Donoso, Universidad Católica del Norte

Associate Professor at Universidad Católica del Norte, Antofagasta, Chile. He has been teaching EFL/ ESL and Spanish as a FL for more than twenty-five years both in Chile and the United States of America. For the past fifteen years, he has been part of the staff of the EFL teacher training program of his university. His teaching goes along with his research interests that involve linguistics, education and teacher training, which is evidenced in his publications in national and international specialized journals. He is also a peer reviewer and editor of important disciplinary journals.

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19-06-2026

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Ugarte Olea, M. S., Figueroa Candia, M. A., & Donoso, E. (2026). Towards a Conceptualization of Intelligibility of English as an International Language: Historical Definitions and Contemporary Trends. Anales De Lingüística, (16), 87-117. https://doi.org/10.48162/rev.57.027

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No. 16 (2026)

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