The work centres around the validity of using authentic, spoken, Native Speaker(NS)English in ESL language learning materials. The author investigates how learners of English can be facilitated in improving their listening and language processing skills when practicing with authentic material. A novel approach to making in particular spoken authentic material available to the language learner by way of a digital slow-down tool is presented in this book.

Marty Meinardi attained a PhD in Applied Linguistics on the use of authentic language for ESL teaching materials. She is a lecturer of English at the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT). She is also a Post-Doc researcher in the DIT''s Digital Media Centre where her current work involves researching and designing a speech corpus.