Sara Kennedy, PhD

Education

PhD, Second Language Education, McGill University
MA, Applied Linguistics, Concordia University
BPHE, Physical Education, Queen’s University
BA (minor) Philosophy, Queens’ University

Professional experience

Associate professor, Department of Education, Concordia University, 2013-present
Assistant professor, Department of Education, Concordia University, 2009-2013
Part-time faculty, Faculty of Education, McGill University, 2004-2009
Instructor, Département de linguistique et de didactique des langues, Université du Québec à Montréal, 2008
Instructor, École des langues, Université du Québec à Montréal, 2006
Part-time faculty, TESL Centre, Concordia University, 1999-2003

Courses taught

Language Assessment (APLI 635)
Language Awareness (APLI 636)
Language Acquisition (TESL 341)
Testing, Evaluation, and Course Design (TESL 415)
Teaching Practicum (TESL 433)
Communication – Special Topics (ESL290)
English Language – Intermediate I (ESL207)
English Language – Intermediate II (ESL208)

Kennedy, S., Trofimovich, P., Lindberg, R., & Tekin, O. (2024). Visual Cues to Speakers’ Religious Affiliation and Listeners’ Understanding of Second Language French Speech. Languages, 9(5), 154. https://doi.org/10.3390/languages9050154

Tsunemoto, A., Trofimovich, P., & Kennedy, S. (2023). Pre-service teachers’ beliefs about second language pronunciation teaching, their experience, and speech assessments. Language Teaching Research, 27(1), 115-136. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168820937273

Nagle, C., Trofimovich, P., O’Brien, M. G., & Kennedy, S. (2022). Comprehensible to whom? Examining rater, speaker, and interlocutor perspectives on comprehensibility in an interactive context. The Modern Language Journal, 106(4), 675-693
https://doi.org/10.1111/modl.12809

Tsunemoto, A., Trofimovich, P., Blanchet, J., Bertrand, J., & Kennedy, S. (2022). Effects of benchmarking and peer-assessment on French learners’ self-assessments of accentedness, comprehensibility, and fluency. Foreign  Language Annals, 55(1), 135–154.
https://doi.org/10.1111/flan.12571

Kennedy, S. (2022) Second language speaking strategies. The Routledge handbook of second language acquisition and L2 speaking. Routledge

Trofimovich, P., Isaacs, T., Kennedy, S., & Tsunemoto, A. (2022). Speech comprehensibility. In T. M. Derwing, M. J. Munro, & R. I. Thomson, The Routledge handbook of second language acquisition and L2 speaking. Routledge

Nagle, C. L., Trofimovich, P., O’Brien, M. G., & Kennedy, S. (2022). Beyond linguistic features: Exploring behavioural and affective correlates of comprehensible second language speech. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 44(1), 255–270. doi:10.1017/S0272263121000073

Kennedy S. (2021). Difficulties understanding L2 speech due to discourse- versus word-level elements. Journal of Second Language Pronunciation. 7(3): 315-342.  https://doi.org/10.1075/jslp.18015.ken

Tsunemoto, A., Trofimovich, P., Blanchet, J., Bertrand, J., Kennedy, S. (2021). Effects of benchmarking and peer assessment on French learners' self-assessments of accentedness, comprehensibility, and fluency. Foreign
Language Annals, 55, 135-154,  https://doi.org/10.1111/flan.12571

Trofimovich, P., Nagle, C., O’Brien, M. G., Kennedy, S. & TaylorReid, K. (2020). Second language comprehensibility as a dynamic construct. Journal of Second Language Pronunciation,   doi:10.1075/jslp.20003.tro.

Tsunemoto, A.,Trofimovich, P., & Kennedy, S. (2020). Pre-service teachers’ beliefs about second language pronunciation teaching, their experience, and speech assessments. Language Teaching Research, 7 ,doi:10.1177/1362168820937273.

Strachan, L., Kennedy,S., & Trofimovich, P. (2019). Second language speakers’ awareness of their own comprehensibility: Examining task repetition and self-assessment. Journal of Second Language Pronunciation, 5, 347-373.

Kennedy, S. &Trofimovich, P. (2019). Comprehensibility: A useful tool to explore listener understanding. Canadian Modern Language Review, 75, 274-284.

Dao,P., Trofimovich, P., & Kennedy, S. (2018). Structural alignment in L2 task-based interaction. ITL – International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 169, 293-320.

Dao,P. & Kennedy, S. (2018). Exploring L2 structural convergence in peer task-based interaction. University of Sydney Papers in TESOL,13.

Kennedy, S.(2017). Using stimulated recall to explore the use of communication strategies in English lingua franca interactions. Journal of English as a Lingua Franca, 6,1-27.

Trofimovich,P., Kennedy, S., & Blanchet, J. (2017). Development of L2 French oral skills in an instructed setting: A focus on speech ratings. Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 20, 32-50.

Kennedy, S., & Trofimovich, P. (2016). Research timeline: Second language communication strategies. Language Teaching, 49(4), 494-512. doi:10.1017/S026144481600015X

Trofimovich, P., Isaacs, T., Kennedy, S.,Saito, K., & Crowther, D. (2016). Flawed self-assessment: Investigating self- and other-perception of second language speech. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 19, 122-140.

Kennedy, S., Guénette, D., Murphy, J.,& Allard, S. (2015). Le rôle de la prononciation dans les problèmes decompréhension entre locuteurs de français lingua franca. Canadian Modern Language Review, 71, 1-25.

Trofimovich, P. & Kennedy, S. (2015). Interactive alignment between bilingual interlocutors: Evidence from two information-exchange tasks. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition. 19, 122-140.

Trofimovich, P., Kennedy, S., & Foote, J. (2015). Variables affecting L2 pronunciation development. In J. Levis & M. Reed (Eds.) Handbook of English pronunciation (350-370). London: Wiley Blackwell.

White, J. & Kennedy, S. (Eds.) (2014) Language awareness: Language awareness for our multicultural world[Special issue]. Language Awareness, 23(1-2).

Kennedy, S. & Blanchet, J. (2014). Language awareness and connected speech perception. Language Awareness, 23, 92-106.  

Kennedy, S., Blanchet, J., & Trofimovich, P. (2014). Learner pronunciation, awareness and instruction in French as a second language. Foreign Language Annals, 47, 79-96.

Kennedy, S. (2012a). When non-native speakers misunderstand each other: Identifying important aspects of pronunciation. Contact, 38(2), pp. 49-62.

Kennedy, S. (2012b) Exploring the relationship between language awareness and second language use. TESOL Quarterly, 46(2), 398-408.

Kennedy, S., & Trofimovich, P. (2010). Language awareness and second language pronunciation: A classroom study. Language Awareness, 19(3), 1-15.

Kennedy, S. & Trofimovich, P. (2008). Intelligibility, comprehensibility, and accentedness of L2 speech: The role of listener experience and semantic context. Canadian Modern Language Review, 64, 459-490.

Selected presentations

Lindberg, R. Trofimovich, P., Kennedy, S., & Tekin, O. (2024). Visual cues and L2 speaker intelligibility: How do religious and non-religious face coverings affect listeners’ understanding of L2 French?. European Second Language Association, Montpellier, France

Dao, P., Trofimovich, P., & Kennedy, S. (2019). Structural alignment in L2 task-based interaction.Canadian Association of Applied Linguistics, Calgary, Canada

Strachan, L., O'Brien, M., Trofimovich, P., & Kennedy, S. (2018). Dynamic Rating of Speech in L2 -L2 Interaction. Canadian Association of Applied Linguistics, Regina, Canada

Trofimovich, P., O’Brien, M., Taylor Reid, K., Strachan,  L., & Kennedy, S. (2018). Second language comprehensibility as a dynamic construct: Evidence from L2-L2 interaction. Exploring Language Education (ELE): Global and Local Perspectives, Stockholm, Sweden

Strachan, L., Trofimovich P., & Kennedy, S. (2018). “I’d love to think my English is better than the recordings”: Exploring L2 speakers’ awareness of comprehensible L2 speech. American Association of Applied Linguistics, Chicago, United States of America

Strachan, L., Trofimovich, P., & Kennedy, S. (2017). Awareness of comprehensible second language speech. American Association of Applied Linguistics, Portland, United States of America

Kennedy, S. (2016). Do they know what went wrong? English lingua franca users analyze difficulties in understanding. Canadian Association of Applied Linguistics, Calgary, Canada

Buss, L & Kennedy, S. (2015). L2 graduate students’ development of speaking in oral presentations. Pronunciation in Second Language Learning and Teaching Conference, Santa Barbara, United States of America

Buss, L., Cardoso, W., & Kennedy, S. (2015). The use of intonation in L2 graduate student presentations: A pilot study. Pronunciation in Second Language Learning and Teaching Conference, Santa Barbara, United States of America

Trofimovich, P., Blanchet, J. & Kennedy, S. (2015). Phonetics instruction in L2 French : Contributions of segments, prosody, and fluency to speech ratings. Phonetics Teaching and Learning Conference, London, United Kingdom

Blanchet, J. & Kennedy, A. (2015). Décodage et compréhension de la langue courante: Enseigner les variantes morphosyntaxiques. Annual meeting of the Canadian Association of Applied Linguistics, Toronto, Canada

Kennedy, S.  & Buss,L.* (2015, March). Understanding L2 speech : Links between word-level and discourse-level understanding. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Canadian Association of Applied Linguistics (ACLA), Toronto, Ontario.

Blanchet, J. & Kennedy, S. (2014). L’enseignement explicite de la variation en classe FL2 et son effet sur la compréhension et sur l’expression des apprenant. Les français d'ici, colloque international sur les variétés
Buss, L.* & Kennedy, S. (2014). Longitudinal discourse structure changes in L2 graduate student presentations. Paper presented at roundtable at the annual meeting of the American Association for Applied Linguistics (AAAL), Portland, OR.

*Buss, L. & Kennedy, S. (2013). Pronunciation teaching in Brazil: A descriptive study of teaching internship reports. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Canadian Association of Applied Linguistics (ACLA/CAAL), Victoria, British Columbia.

Kennedy, S., Blanchet, J. & Trofimovich, P. (2013). L2 learner’s speech after French phonetics teaching. Paper presented at the Phonetics Teaching and Learning Conference, London, England.

Kennedy, S. & *Buss, L. (2013). Longitudinal L2 pronunciation development at university: NN students in their first and third years. Paper presented at the International Symposium on the Acquisition of Second Language Speech, Montreal, Quebec.

Blanchet, J., Kennedy, S., & Trofimovich, P. (2012). Language awareness and the development of listening ability. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Language Awareness (ALA), Montreal, Quebec.

Guenette, D., Kennedy, S., *Murphy, J., & *Allard, S. *(2012). Les interactions entre locuteurs non-natifs du français: Conscience et perceptions des difficultés. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Language Awareness (ALA), Montreal, Quebec.

Kennedy, S. (2012). All together now: Assessing pronunciation and communication in interaction. Invited panelist at Roundtable on Pronunciation Assessment at the Pronunciation in Second Language Learning and Teaching Conference, Vancouver, British Columbia.

Kennedy, S. (2012). "Here I expected him to explain, but he didn't": Successful and unsuccessful interactions between English Lingua Franca (ELF) speakers. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Applied Linguistics (AAAL), Boston, MA.

Kennedy, S., *Liu, R., & *Lee, M. (2012). Building successful communication between speakers of English as a lingua franca. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Canadian Association of Applied Linguistics (CAAL), Waterloo, Ontario.

Kennedy, S. (2011). Non-native university students’ L2 speech: First and final year. Paper presented at the International Symposium on Bilingualism (ISB), Oslo, Norway.

Kennedy, S. (2011). L2 speech development of non-native university students. Paper presented at the at the annual meeting of the American Association for Applied Linguistics (AAAL), Chicago, IL.

Kennedy, S. (2011). When non-native students misunderstand each other: Identifying important aspects of pronunciation. Invited paper presented at the annual meeting of TESOL Ontario, Toronto, Ontario.

Kennedy, S. (2010). Speaking an L2: University students at the beginning and end of their studies. Paper presented at the annual meeting of SPEAQ (Société pour la promotion de l’enseignement de l’anglais, langue seconde, au Québec) Convention, Quebec City, Quebec.

Kennedy, S., Trofimovich, P., & Halter, R. (2010, July). Sensibilities for sounds: Investigating learners’ awareness of L2 pronunciation. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Language Awareness (ALA), Kassel, Germany.


Kennedy, S. (2010). Is language awareness related to patterns of second language use? A classroom study. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Applied Linguistics (AAAL), Atlanta, Georgia.

Kennedy, S. & Trofimovich, P. (2009, September).  Language awareness and oral production: Insights from an L2 pronunciation course. Paper to be presented at the Pronunciation in Second Language Learning and Teaching Conference, Ames, Iowa.

Kennedy, S., Trofimovich, P., & Halter, R. (2008, July). L2 proficiency: Measuring intelligibility at word and discourse level. Paper presented at the BAAL (British Association of Applied Linguistics) Language Teaching and Learning Conference, Greenwich, UK.

Kennedy, S. (2008, April). The link between word-level and discourse-level intelligibility. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Applied Linguistics (AAAL), Washington, DC.