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Foreign Accent: The Phenomenon of Non-native Speech
Abstract
To what extent do our accents determine the way we are perceived by others? Is foreign accent inevitably associated with social stigma? Accent is a matter of great public interest given the impact of migration on national and global affairs, but until now, applied linguistics research has treated accent largely as a theoretical puzzle. In this fascinating account, Alene Moyer examines the social, psychological, educational and legal ramifications of sounding ‘foreign’. She explores how accent operates contextually through analysis of issues such as: the neuro-cognitive constraints on phonological acquisition, individual factors that contribute to the ‘intractability’ of accent, foreign accent as a criterion for workplace discrimination, and the efficacy of instruction for improving pronunciation. This holistic treatment of second language accent is an essential resource for graduate students and researchers interested in applied linguistics, bilingualism and foreign language education.
... In this regard, Doughty and Long (2008) claim that because in such a social scenario, English or other foreign languages are not the main instruments for communication, there is a lack of naturalistic exposure to incentives students to keep learning and practicing the target language, it highly possible that learners face plenty of challenges to construct an effective second language competence. Furthermore, with respect to native pronunciation development in such an ambiance, according to Moyer (2013), "foreign accents are linguistic phenomena arising from the phonetic systems of two language varieties being different. Thus, phonetic properties of the speaker's first language are irretrievably carried over to the second language" (p. ...
... From this context, native pronunciation is a result of the immersion to which an individual develops the ability to produce language as the people around them make use of it. However, as stated by Moyer (2013), "the ability to approximate native-like pronunciation is a demanding aspect of second language acquisition and represents one of the most persisting challenges for many learners. Yet, for many, acquiring nativelike pronunciation remains an important goal and benchmark of successful learning" (p. ...
... In this regard, Doughty and Long (2003) claim that because in such a social scenario, English or other foreign languages are not the main instruments for communication, there is a lack of naturalistic exposure to incentives students to keep learning and practicing the target language, it highly possible that learners face plenty of challenges to construct an effective second language competence. Furthermore, with respect to native pronunciation development in such an ambiance, according to Moyer (2013), "foreign accents are linguistic phenomena arising from the phonetic systems of two language varieties being different. Thus, phonetic properties of the speaker's first language are irretrievably carried over to the second language" (p. ...
Achieving native-like pronunciation is often viewed as an essential goal for students learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL), particularly when instructors are from native English-speaking backgrounds and establish teaching standards based on native fluency. However, the emphasis on attaining native pronunciation norms can present challenges for learners whose first language phonology context differs from English. This study explored the perspectives of beginner, intermediate, and upper intermediate-level EFL students at the University of Guanajuato regarding the challenges of learning native pronunciation in a non-native context taught by native English speakers. The findings highlight the complex dynamic between the students' desire for native-like proficiency dominance because of the recognition and praise provided by their teachers and general society and the difficulties EFL learners face in achieving this standard outside an immersive environment.
... Understanding the complexity that surrounds the term accent, specifically a foreign accent, is the first step in breaking down where learners' attitudes or perspectives of English stem from. Moyer (2013) states that the 'inherent variability' of accents makes it difficult to define, however she attempts to define accent as contextual, communicative and of social significance. Accent is contextual, because it is dependent on or can be impacted by one's surroundings and environment. ...
... First, some speakers attribute symbolic value to his or her accent. Moyer (2013) observes in her research (2004 and 2007) that "some non-native speakers prefer to hold onto their discernibly foreign accent for its symbolic value" (2013: 18). ...
... According to Young and Walsh (2010) currently the majority of communication in English is by non-native English speakers (NNES) with other NNES. In addition, Cenoz et al (2020) and Moyer (2013) argue that there could potentially be more multilingual speakers of English than there are not. As a result, the function and impact of intercultural competence in the native speaker versus non-native speaker dichotomy is brought to the forefront. ...
Scholars attribute understanding learner attitudes as a key proponent linked with learner’s beliefs and motivational systems to ensure success in the EFL classroom. Recently, the importance and value that English accents should or do hold has become widely discussed and debated by scholars in conjunction with World Englishes and English as a lingua franca. However, there is little research exemplifying what English learners themselves contribute to this discussion and debate, especially, in eastern European countries, like Poland. Previous research on Polish learners revealed their relentless desire to obtain a British ‘native’ speaker accent and disdain for the Poglish accent. The aim of this study sought to find out whether Polish learners still yearned to obtain a ‘native’ speaker or ‘standard’ accent and whether learners were ready to embrace the WES-EFL ideology that is so often now being put at the forefront by EFL scholars. An online questionnaire formed of 20 questions (five of which were evaluated on a Likert scale) was distributed online to students a part of the University of Warsaw. It was found that Polish learners still desired a British accent but are on the verge of acceptance of varieties of English spoken by others, including their English teachers. The data illustrates the beginnings of a potential shift in attitudes occurring within Polish learners not congruent with past studies.
... Accent, often described as one of the most salient linguistic features associating individuals with social groups, may also drive second language learners' investment in their learning process (Norton Pierce, 1995;Norton, 2013). According to Moyer (2013), "Accent is a set of dynamic segmental and suprasegmental habits that convey linguistic meaning along with social and situational affiliation." (p. ...
... As stated by Moyer (2013), "Accent, as an essential aspect of our identity, can be the site of resistance when we do not wish to yield our established sense of self, or it can be the gateway to integration into another culture." (p. ...
In this study, I explore the relationship between the perceived accentedness of French-language learners (FLLs) and its impact on their identity and investment in pronunciation skills. I draw on the concept of learner investment (Norton Pierce, 1995; Norton, 2013) as a key aspect of language learning research focused on identity and in connection to pronunciation. This paper's primary goal is to explore the link between the perceived accentedness of FLLs and their identity. I also examine the repercussions of accentedness on FLLs' investment in their pronunciation skills. To address these questions, I focused on four participants' replies to an online survey and examined the semi-structured interviews through Analysis of Narratives. This case study highlights that positive or negative implications on their identity may arise depending on their perception of their accentedness, driving their desire to invest in pronunciation.
... Finally, from a sociolinguistic perspective, speaking a language with an accent results from involuntary or voluntary vocal imitation according to Markham (1997: 50). Also, for Moyer (2013), the adoption of a particular accent is related to a question of identity but also to the symbolic value of a language (18). Whether voluntary or involuntary, direct or mediated, vocal imitation is characterized by a number of factors sometimes acting simultaneously. ...
... Even though the data collected does not allow for any categorical conclusion, the participants might be un/consciously imitating the accents they are being exposed to. This could also be related to cultural affiliation and identity as indicated by Markham (1997) and Moyer (2013). The argument made here is that speech patterns are far more malleable than past sociolinguistic research (Chambers 1998) has suggested. ...
... As can be seen in this definition, accent is associated with one's 1 background, origins, and social status. Moyer (2013) highlights the importance of such ties and reminds that an accent reflects one's past experiences and sociological background in terms of languages known, aspects of regional and social upbringing, educational background, affiliations with different speech communities, and social networks. Accent is generally compared to dialect, which refers to a variety that differs grammatically, phonologically, and lexically from others and is also associated with a certain geographical area and/or social class or status (Trudgill, 1992). ...
... Therefore, prejudices or negative perspectives towards individuals with these identities are easily directed to them in a target speech community due to their accents. Moyer (2013) notes that individuals learning an L2, especially those residing in the target-language community, face significant pressure to blend in since factors like aspects of phonological acquisition (e.g., quality input) and building social networks (e.g., being surrounded by friends and acquaintances) might be obstacles for many learners on the way. Likewise, Kim et al. (2019) reported in their study that NNSs faced challenges like anxiety, fatigue, negative emotions, avoidance, and stereotype threat when communicating with NSs, and stereotype threat can affect their self-esteem negatively leading to frustration and embarrassment. ...
... As stated by [1] defines one's accent as being "a salient aspect of communicative fluency" as well as being communicatively dynamic, in the foreign language (L2) as it is in the native language (L1). The author points out that one's accent shifts over time in response to one's experience, and orientation towards the target language. ...
... Literature has attributed that there is a high computational cost of cognitive effort at producing aspects such as L2 rhythm, intonation and emphasis for reasons that go, since the foreign speaker context-and-language experience until one's emotional-expressive state ( [26], [28]). The acoustic characteristics established for SR are either extended to Pause duration especially in prosodic boundary detection (see [1], [6], [26], [28] for details); ...
This research is under development and it aims to carry out a comparative study between L1-L2 English (American and Brazilian speakers respectively) speech rhythm, from the some of the classical rhythm metrics and prosodic-acoustic parameters measured during production, perception and factor discrimination, and then project which classes of parameters (metrics and prosodic-acoustic) best model foreign accent degree of English. As for the Methods, a group of L1 (four Americans) and L2 (ten Brazilians) speakers read a phonetically-adapted version of the Aesop's fable "The Lion and the Mouse". For the acoustic analysis, phonetic data were segmented and labeled into six different units; vowels, consonants, pauses, (phonetic) syllables, sentences and higher units. For the perceptual analysis, ten American raters listened to chunks of L1-L2 English and scored through a 7-point Likert scale the speakers' foreign accent degree (the higher the score, the higher foreign accent degree was). For the statistical analysis, we ran one-way ANCOVAs, cross-setting the classes of parameters, and for the perceptual scores. We also ran discriminant analysis statistics to check the most robust parameters in the classification of the groups. Preliminary results confirm our hypothesis and point out to significant acoustic and perceptual differences between groups, such as: i) lower speech rate, ii) lower consonantal, syllabic and melodic variability, dispersion, and modulation produced by the Brazilian speakers, as well as a normal distribution between the classes of parameters. Even preliminarily, this study comes to fill a gap on studies of L2 experimental prosody in Brazil.
... As stated by [1] defines one's accent as being "a salient aspect of communicative fluency" as well as being communicatively dynamic, in the foreign language (L2) as it is in the native language (L1). The author points out that one's accent shifts over time in response to one's experience, and orientation towards the target language. ...
... Literature has attributed that there is a high computational cost of cognitive effort at producing aspects such as L2 rhythm, intonation and emphasis for reasons that go, since the foreign speaker context-and-language experience until one's emotional-expressive state ( [26], [28]). The acoustic characteristics established for SR are either extended to Pause duration especially in prosodic boundary detection (see [1], [6], [26], [28] for details); ...
This research is under development and it aims to carry out a comparative study between L1-L2 English (American and Brazilian speakers respectively) speech rhythm, from the some of the classical rhythm metrics and prosodic-acoustic parameters measured during production, perception and factor discrimination, and then project which classes of parameters (metrics and prosodic-acoustic) best model foreign accent degree of English. As for the Methods, a group of L1 (four Americans) and L2 (ten Brazilians) speakers read a phonetically-adapted version of the Aesop's fable "The Lion and the Mouse". For the acoustic analysis, phonetic data were segmented and labeled into six different units; vowels, consonants, pauses, (phonetic) syllables, sentences and higher units. For the perceptual analysis, ten American raters listened to chunks of L1-L2 English and scored through a 7-point Likert scale the speakers' foreign accent degree (the higher the score, the higher foreign accent degree was). For the statistical analysis, we ran one-way ANCOVAs, cross-setting the classes of parameters, and for the perceptual scores. We also ran discriminant analysis statistics to check the most robust parameters in the classification of the groups. Preliminary results confirm our hypothesis and point out to significant acoustic and perceptual differences between groups, such as: i) lower speech rate, ii) lower consonantal, syllabic and melodic variability, dispersion, and modulation produced by the Brazilian speakers, as well as a normal distribution between the classes of parameters. Even preliminarily, this study comes to fill a gap on studies of L2 experimental prosody in Brazil.
... As stated by [1] defines one's accent as being "a salient aspect of communicative fluency" as well as being communicatively dynamic, in the foreign language (L2) as it is in the native language (L1). The author points out that one's accent shifts over time in response to one's experience, and orientation towards the target language. ...
... Literature has attributed that there is a high computational cost of cognitive effort at producing aspects such as L2 rhythm, intonation and emphasis for reasons that go, since the foreign speaker context-and-language experience until one's emotional-expressive state ( [26], [28]). The acoustic characteristics established for SR are either extended to Pause duration especially in prosodic boundary detection (see [1], [6], [26], [28] for details); ...
This research is under development and it aims to carry out a comparative study between L1-L2 English (American and Brazilian speakers respectively) speech rhythm, from the some of the classical rhythm metrics and prosodic-acoustic parameters measured during production, perception and factor discrimination, and then project which classes of parameters (metrics and prosodic-acoustic) best model foreign accent degree of English. As for the Methods, a group of L1 (four Americans) and L2 (ten Brazilians) speakers read a phonetically-adapted version of the Aesop’s fable “The Lion and the Mouse”. For the acoustic analysis, phonetic data were segmented and labeled into six different units; vowels, consonants, pauses, (phonetic) syllables, sentences and higher units. For the perceptual analysis, ten American raters listened to chunks of L1-L2 English and scored through a 7-point Likert scale the speakers’ foreign accent degree (the higher the score, the higher foreign accent degree was). For the statistical analysis, we ran one-way ANCOVAs, cross-setting the classes of parameters, and for the perceptual scores. We also ran discriminant analysis statistics to check the most robust parameters in the classification of the groups. Preliminary results confirm our hypothesis and point out to significant acoustic and perceptual differences between groups, such as: i) lower speech rate, ii) lower consonantal, syllabic and melodic variability, dispersion, and modulation produced by the Brazilian speakers, as well as a normal distribution between the classes of parameters. Even preliminarily, this study comes to fill a gap on studies of L2 experimental prosody in Brazil.
... Due to sustained globalization and immigration, a substantial portion of the global workforce speaks English with a nonnative accent (i.e., an accent produced by speakers whose first language is not English; Moyer, 2013). Although 1.35 billion people worldwide speak English, only 375 million are native speakers (Statista, 2021), which indicates there is likely a large number of speakers with non-native English accents (Gluszek & Dovidio, 2010b). ...
... Before we outline our theoretical logic, we clarify what defines a speaker with a non-native English accent. Namely, this refers to someone who has learned English later in life, such that the speaker maintains the phonology of the native language when speaking English, even after perfecting other aspects of language, such as grammar and syntax (Moyer, 2013). Thus, speaking with a non-native accent is a separate phenomenon from competency or fluency in a given language (Gluszek & Dovidio, 2010b). ...
Although many workers speak with a non-native English accent, our understanding of this phenomenon is limited because prior work predominantly focused on men. This overlooks whether the biases women experience due to their accent manifests differently. To address this omission, we use an intersectional lens to examine how non-native accents associated with more gender-traditional countries may affect women's hiring outcomes. We argue that the bias women with these accents face is subtle due to an association of non-native (vs. native) accents with perceptions of women's warmth (whereas there are no such effects for men) and consequently higher perceptions of hireability. Yet we posit that the indirect effect on hireability occurs within feminine, but not masculine, industries, which ultimately undermines equity by pushing women with these non-native accents into lower pay and prestige occupations. We found support for our hypotheses in three vignette-based experiments conducted in Canada using a Mandarin accent. Managers and decision-makers need to be aware of the insidious bias women with these non-native accents experience because it may not be immediately apparent that an association of accent with higher ratings of warmth may undermine women at work. Additional online materials for this article are available on PWQ's website at https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/suppl/10.1177/03616843231165475
... The implications of foreign-accented speech extend beyond communication and influence individual and social constructs. Moyer (2013) posits that the foreign accent serves to project individual style and signals social identity, potentially leading to negative perceptions and marking the speaker as an outsider. In speech communities, foreign-accented speech affects listeners' assessments, with native accents receiving higher status and non-native accents facing lower prestige (Munro & Derwing, 1995). ...
This research explores how 95 English-dominant emerging bilinguals perceive English-accented Spanish across varying proficiency levels. The study examined the impact of self-reported Spanish language proficiency in the dimensions of Spanish grammar, pronunciation, and overall ability on positive and negative evaluations of recordings with differing degrees of foreign-accented Spanish-English speech. Results revealed that although self-reported proficiency did not significantly modulate the ratings of the recordings, the High Proficiency group gave overall more positive ratings to the recordings. Some significant differences were found, however, between the ratings of the recordings for positive and negative attributes. These findings suggest that the perception of second language accentedness constitutes a noteworthy feature of the emerging bilingual experience. They also suggest a relationship between language proficiency levels, highlighting the importance of considering proficiency when interpreting views of degree of foreign-accented speech.
... In other words, SA students may switch languages depending on tasks or interlocutors, and may choose not to fully immerse themselves in the L2. Moyer (2013) also remarks on the importance of L2 speaker motivation, in particular, in acquiring and producing sociophonetic features, given their socio-indexical and identity-related functions. With respect to proficiency, Solon and Long (2018) note that few studies have considered individual differences according to participant proficiency and type of bilingualism (i.e., L2 versus heritage speaker). ...
The present study compares the Second Language (L2) acquisition of Spanish Voice Onset Time (VOT) by 14 U S. semester-long study-abroad (SA) students in Madrid (Spain) and 9 at-home (AH) peers using an oral production task. To identify the trajectory of phonetic development across the fourteen-week program, Spanish and English /t/s were recorded at three different time points (pre-/mid-/post-semester). Based on an acoustic analysis and a three-pronged statistical approach – random forests, mixed-effects linear regression models, and conditional inference trees – we found that both groups of L2 Spanish speakers produced language-specific VOT values in each of their languages. Even though the comparison between each time point did not show significant differences in the VOT values for either group, an analysis of the individual variation in the data reveals a clear trend of VOT reduction from pre-to post-semester for most SA students. More specifically, SA students overall produced shorter (more target-like) Spanish VOTs during mid-semester and post-semester in comparison to pre-semester. Results also support findings that learner motivation and oral proficiency play prominent roles in the acquisition of L2 phonology abroad, while they question the role (or operationalization) of intensity of contact with the target language.
... The single pronunciation that learners typically acquire in class for every word (i.e., the word's citation form; e.g., McCarthy & Carter, 1995;O'Connor Di Vito, 1991) does not prepare them for the wide range of variable pronunciations they will encounter in everyday situations. In any language, the pronunciation of words can vary substantially depending on a speaker's regiolect, social group, generational or educational background, gender, mood, physical health, emotions, affect, or situation (Moyer, 2013). In addition, in any spontaneous conversation, even a single speaker tends to vary their pronunciation of the same word, with these variants differing in how much they deviate from the word's citation form. ...
Twenty-five years ago, the publication of an article by Pallier, Colomé and Sebastián-Gallés (2001) launched a new and rapidly evolving research program on how second language (L2) learners represent the phonological forms of words in their mental lexicons. Many insights are starting to form an overall picture of the unique difficulties for establishing functional and precise phonolexical representations in L2; however, in order for the field to move forward it is pertinent to outline its major emerging research questions and existing challenges. Among significant obstacles for further research, the paper explores the current lack of theoretical agreement on the concept of phonolexical representations and the underlying mechanism involved in establishing them, as well as the variable use of the related terminology (e.g. fuzziness and target-like). Methodological challenges involved in investigating phonological processing and phonolexical representations as well as their theoretical implications are also discussed. To conclude, we explore the significance of L2-specific phonological representations for bottom-up lexical access during casual, conversational speech, and how our emerging knowledge of L2 lexical representations can be applied in an instructional setting as two potentially fruitful research avenues at the forefront of the current research agenda.
... The single pronunciation that learners typically acquire in class for every word (i.e., the word's citation form; e.g., McCarthy & Carter, 1995;O'Connor Di Vito, 1991) does not prepare them for the wide range of variable pronunciations they will encounter in everyday situations. In any language, the pronunciation of words can vary substantially depending on a speaker's regiolect, social group, generational or educational background, gender, mood, physical health, emotions, affect, or situation (Moyer, 2013). In addition, in any spontaneous conversation, even a single speaker tends to vary their pronunciation of the same word, with these variants differing in how much they deviate from the word's citation form. ...
Twenty-five years ago, the publication of an article by Pallier, Colomé, and Sebastián-Gallés (2001) launched a new and rapidly evolving research program on how second language (L2) learners represent the phonological forms of words in their mental lexicons. Many insights are starting to form an overall picture of the unique difficulties for establishing functional and precise phonolexical representations in L2; however, for the field to move forward it is pertinent to outline its major emerging research questions and existing challenges. Among significant obstacles for further research, the paper explores the current lack of theoretical agreement on the concept of phonolexical representations and the underlying mechanism involved in establishing them, as well as the variable use of the related terminology (e.g., fuzziness and target-likeness). Methodological challenges involved in investigating phonological processing and phonolexical representations as well as their theoretical implications are also discussed. To conclude, we explore the significance of L2-specific phonological representations for the bottom-up lexical access during casual, conversational speech and how our emerging knowledge of L2 lexical representations can be applied in an instructional setting as two potentially fruitful research avenues at the forefront of the current research agenda.
... Interestingly, in the last brief anecdote, the student highlighted the perceived difference in the way other people act, prompting a deeper reflection on how easily accent bias and stereotypes can negatively impact and lead others' actions. Therefore, as found in Moyer (2013), accent impacts the broader social level through its associations with prestige and status as well as stigma. ...
... Foreign accents can be influenced by a range of circumstances, such as the age at which an individual commences acquiring an L2, their level of exposure to the target language, and their linguistic background (Moyer, 2013). Generally, individuals who start learning a new language at an early age have a higher chance of acquiring nativelike pronunciation and reducing the impact of their native accent. ...
Effective English communication across different languages and cultures has become increasingly important in a globalised world. To gain a deeper understanding of the segmental features of Thai speakers of English, this study aims to investigate the production of English monophthongs and diphthongs by Thai speakers and examine how intelligible their pronunciations are to others. Data were collected through two tasks: a production task and a listening task. For the production task, three Thai female speakers were chosen as the participants. They were recorded reading a passage consisting of all targeted vowels, and a total of 180 English tokens were analysed. For the listening task, thirty Malaysian listeners were asked to evaluate the speech intelligibility of the English sounds produced by the three speakers. The duration and formant frequencies of English vowels produced were measured to investigate the characteristics of the monophthongs and diphthongs. The findings show that there were significant differences in the durations between long and short vowels of the monophthongs, but there were no significant differences in the vowel quality produced. The ROC (rate of change) of formant frequencies (F1 and F2) indicates that there was no formant movement for the diphthongs /eɪ/, /əʊ/, and /eə/. The three diphthongs showed similar characteristics as other ASEAN Englishes that are monophthongal as /e:/, /o:/, and /ɛ:/, respectively. These findings confirm that speakers’ L1 influences English vowel production. Although there were vowel variations in the characteristics of the vowels produced by the speakers, the intelligibility scores were high.
... Adult L2 learning is characterised by a variability in ultimate attainment that is strikingly distinct from language learned in typically developing children. This is particularly pronounced regarding phonological development, where mastering foreign sounds is notoriously problematic for those learning languages outside of childhood (Flege et al. 1999;Moyer 2013;Singleton and Ryan 2004). Well-known difficulties include the "rocket" and "locket" distinction for Japanese speakers (Aoyama et al. 2004) or "bet" and "bat" for Dutch speakers (Broersma 2005). ...
Learners of additional languages, particularly in adulthood and instructed settings, are typically exposed to large quantities of written input from the earliest stages of learning, with varied and far-reaching effects on L2 phonology. Most research investigating this topic focuses on learning across languages that share the same orthographic script, often involving the Latin alphabet and English. Without exploring phonological learning over a greater diversity of spoken and written language combinations, our understanding of orthographic effects on L2 phonology remains narrow and unrepresentative of the many individuals acquiring languages across writing systems, globally. This paper draws together preliminary research relating to the influence of written input, in a distinct script from known languages, on L2 phonology. Studies are grouped into those with naïve participants, where the written forms are entirely unfamiliar to the participant, and those with experienced learners, who have varying levels of proficiency and familiarity with the target orthography. While there is great scope and need for further investigation, initial evidence suggests that even entirely unfamiliar written input impacts phonological learning and is certainly influential with growing proficiency in the spoken and written language. The article concludes with theoretical and methodological considerations for future research in this emerging field.
... Suurin osa aiemmista tutkimuksista on keskittynyt englannin kieleen opittavana kielenä (esim. Munro & Derwing 1995;Moyer 2013). Englantia käytetään englanninkielisissä maissa ja maailmalla myös yleisemmin erittäin paljon lingua francana. ...
The paper focuses on the Russian accent in the Finnish oral proficiency test. The data consist of spontaneous monologues on an intermediate proficiency level from 10 speakers (about 90 s each). Raters (n=44) were asked to identify the accent in the speech samples as well as to give justifications for their recognition in their own words. The analysis is based on a classification of the raters’ comments as well as auditory and acoustic analysis by the author. The results show that the raters paid most attention to individual sounds, but also palatalization and intonation were mentioned as the reasons for detection of the Russian accent. To conclude, further and more detailed acoustic analysis is needed to gain more understanding of the phonetic features of Russian accented Finnish.
... continue to top the list of pronunciation models, even though there are many native and non-native speaker accents available (e.g., Henderson et al. 2012;Moyer 2013 According to Brown (2014), there seem to be significant variations in scores depending on the accents used in listening passages. However, greater research will allow for the responsible and equitable application of this English method to language teaching when creating standardized competency exams (Brown, 2014). ...
This study aims to investigate the impact of accent on a second language and the impact of accent on second language listening comprehension. Utilizing an experimental approach, we collected data from the group of participants exposed to different accents in the context of teaching English as a second language. Data analysis methods involved evaluating listening comprehension through tests and interviews. The results indicate that specific accents can influence the level of listening comprehension, with significant implications for second language teaching and curriculum material development.
... Most individuals who speak a second language (L2) tend to exhibit perceivable traces of a 'foreign accent' (Moyer 2013). These non-native characteristics encompass aspects such as consonant and vowel articulation (segmental deviations), pitch range, fluency, speech rate, pauses, and rhythm (prosodic deviations) (see a.o., Anderson-Hsieh et al. 1992;Flege et al. 1997;Kang 2010;Trofimovich and Baker 2006;Gut 2007). ...
Little attention is paid to prosody in second language (L2) instruction, but computer-assisted pronunciation training (CAPT) offers learners solutions to improve the perception and production of L2 suprasegmentals. In this study, we extend with acoustic analysis a previous research showing the effectiveness of self-imitation training on prosodic improvements of Japanese learners of Italian. In light of the increased degree of correct match between intended and perceived pragmatic functions (e.g., speech acts), in this study, we aimed at quantifying the degree of prosodic convergence towards L1 Italian speakers used as a model for self-imitation training. To measure convergence, we calculated the difference in duration, F0 mean, and F0 max syllable-wise between L1 utterances and the corresponding L2 utterances produced before and after training. The results showed that after self-imitation training, L2 learners converged to the L1 speakers. The extent of the effect, however, varied based on the speech act, the acoustic measure, and the distance between L1 and L2 speakers before the training. The findings from perceptual and acoustic investigations, taken together, show the potential of self-imitation prosodic training as a valuable tool to help L2 learners communicate more effectively.
... From the above understanding, we can conclude that accent also has similarities with dialect. The similarity is that accents can vary depending on the region and social class (Moyer, 2013). However, the thing that makes the difference is that the accent is more inclined to the way of pronouncing or pronouncing a word. ...
The various myth and taboos of ora ilok are familiar among several Javanese groups. The objective of this research is to understand generation Z’s perception of the Javanese myth and taboo ora ilok in Javanese society. This research employs the descriptive qualitative method, involving 76 respondents from various regions of Java such as Central Java, East Java, West Java, and the Special Region of Yogyakarta. The respondents were born between 1996 and 2005. Results show that the majority of respondents do not believe in the ora ilok myths. However, there is a different opinion from Generation Z. Some consider myths as a joke and treat them with scepticism, while a few still believe in these myths, viewing them as rules that must be followed, with potential repercussions for breaking them. Meanwhile, none of the respondents believes in the ora ilok taboo. Ora ilok is a Javanese term used to describe something which is not good and unethical due to its associated prohibitions. It is unwritten and serves as important rules of politeness, serving as a reminder for children, teenagers, and adults. There are values behind the word ora ilok, but the elders usually emphasize its negative consequences on the physical and mental well-being of those who violate these rules. This serves as a reminder for the Javanese to behave politely and respect the rights of others. However, there is a difference in the judgment of generation Z. Many of them no longer believe in ora ilok, while some view it as a joke and treat it with scepticism. However, these myths and taboos are gradually eroding in the new culture of this era.
... From the above understanding, we can conclude that accent also has similarities with dialect. The similarity is that accents can vary depending on the region and social class (Moyer, 2013). However, the thing that makes the difference is that the accent is more inclined to the way of pronouncing or pronouncing a word. ...
An accent is a way of pronouncing something unique in a particular language, and specific to a country, region, or social class. Recently, the 'Javanese accent' trend has been buzzing on social media. The viral Java accent began when a content creator from Surabaya, East Java, made a video that featured Javanese accents in several words. This research investigates the phenomenon of Javenglish which occurs when Javanese people speak English with a Javanese accent in Instagram Reels @natkenira. This research employs a descriptive qualitative approach. The analysis shows that 60 English words from 7 Reels videos are pronounced with a Javanese accent. Indonesian speakers of English can be influenced by the accent/dialect of their mother tongue when speaking English. This causes variations of letter sounds, both consonants and vowels. Javanese style in speaking English is sometimes related to the “medok” accent as the most recognizable characteristic of the Javanese language. This character may be difficult to remove because of genetic inheritance. An accent is a characteristic form distinctive by pronunciation, style, and features of a certain language often linked with certain social groups, usually, people hope members and groups of this social language use style or speech characteristics. There are 60 words with Javenglish pronunciation in the social media content of Instagram Reels @natkenira. Similar research is still possible to conduct and can provide input for this research. In further research, the number of research subjects can be added to get maximum results.
... When one says that a person has an accent, it is implied that the person sounds like they are speaking differently from what one is accustomed to. One reason for the difference might be that the speaker is using a language that is their second language; this non-native speech phenomenon is known as a foreign accent (Moyer 2013). When a person is said to have a "strong accent, " it is often interpreted to mean that some of their first language's phonology, or sound system, comes through when speaking the second language. ...
... Yet, recent research in the 'socio-cognitive' paradigm allows us to see the potential complementarity and synergy of the two seemingly distinct and incommensurable perspectives. In addition to the traditional focus on learner-internal factors, the growing body of research under the socio-cognitive perspective has begun to consider how social factors such as attitude and identity mediate the linguistic experience of language learners which may in turn affect acquisition outcome (see Batstone, 2010;Hulk & Marinis, 2011;Moyer, 2013). For example, a stronger affiliation to the target language group may enhance the extent and diversity of language exposure, the enhanced input in terms of both quantity and quality in turn creates a richer or more favourable environment for linguistic development to take place. ...
Full text available: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07908318.2023.2285797 -
As part of a larger project that investigates the issue of identities in Hong Kong, this study anchored on the sociocognitive paradigm in second language acquisition (SLA) explores the potential relationship between one’s identity and perceived language accentedness. Our study set in Hong Kong (HK) aims to extend Gatbonton and colleagues’ works (e.g. [2005]. Learners’ ethnic group loyalty and L2 pronunciation accuracy: A sociolinguistic investigation. TESOL Quarterly, 39(3), 489–511. https://doi.org/10.2307/3588491; [2008]. The ethnic group affiliation and L2 proficiency link: Empirical evidence. Language Awareness, 17(3), 229–248. https://doi.org/10.1080/09658410802146867; [2011]. Ethnic group affiliation and patterns of development of a phonological variable. Modern Language Journal, 95(2), 188–204. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.2011.01177.x) that examine the relationship between ethnic group affiliation (EGA) and language proficiencies in diglossic contexts. HK is a multi-glossic context where Cantonese, English and Mandarin are the official languages, and they perform distinctive functions in various public and private domains. Through analysing participants’ (n = 65; born between 1970s–1990s) self-identification and their reported accentedness in English and Mandarin, we address the question of whether EGA as a set of social factors has a bearing on a person’s linguistic achievements. Findings indicate that participants’ identification with the Chinese/ HK identity is related to their perceived accentedness in the targeted languages in intricate ways that do not align completely with our predictions. We conclude by calling for further socio-cognitively informed research that investigates multiglossic situations where languages/ language varieties complement or compete with each other.
... "'). This supports Moyer's (2013) assertion that "accent, as an essential aspect of our identity, can be the site of resistance when we do not wish to yield our established sense of self " (p. 63). ...
Research on heritage speakers abroad constitutes a growing field. Of particular interest is linguistic accommodation by heritage speakers in Spain. Previous work suggests that such accommodation may be affected by participants’ social networks and Spanish fluency. Most work, however, has not directly examined interactions with local peers, nor has it considered participants’ receptiveness to Spain as a possible factor. This study analyzes the linguistic choices of four heritage speakers in interaction with Spanish peers at the midpoint of a semester-long program in central Spain. Spain was the desired destination of two participants, while the other two would have preferred Latin America. However, all showed minimal accommodation. Receptiveness to Spain does not seem to explain their choices; rather, their language use in interaction was likely driven by their identity stances and their desire to create relationships of either closeness or distance with their particular Spanish interlocutors.
... De allra flesta personer som lär sig ett nytt språk i vuxen ålder kommer att tala språket med en brytning (Flege et al., 1995;Moyer 2013). Brytning är ofta en identitetsmarkör och återspeglas i flera delar av språket; grammatik, ordförråd och uttal. ...
Vuxna andraspråksinlärare talar ofta språket med en brytning, men det behöver inte betyda att det är svårt att förstå talaren. För att undvika missförstånd i kommunikation är ett begripligt uttal nödvändigt. Därför är explicit uttalsundervisning viktigt. Många lärare menar att det är svårt att undervisa i uttal och lägger därför mera tid på andra moment i sin undervisning. Efter att ha fått mera kunskap och didaktiska verktyg, i ett samarbete mellan lärare och forskare i ett ULF-projekt, har lärare nu fått en ny insikt om viken av uttalsundervisning och integrerar det i sin undervisning på olika nivåer. De menar också att eleverna fått en ökad medvetenhet och förståelse för vikten av ett förståeligt uttal vilket kommer att bidra till ett bättre och tydligare uttal.
... Additionally, although this view is less sustained among third-year teacher candidates, there are few participants who see near-native pronunciation as the ultimate goal of pronunciation instruction, especially for ELT practitioners. Together with this notion of teachers as models of performance, the third-year cohort also illustrate some apprehension regarding the judgement they could be subject to because of their accent (Gluszek & Dovidio, 2010;Moyer, 2013;Munro, 2003), as this is the most salient linguistic aspect of a speaker (Canagarajah, 2005). Having native pronunciation, therefore, could help teachers gain more respect (Derwing & Munro, 2009;. ...
The field of Second Language Teacher Cognition (SLTC) has promisingly gained more attention in the past decades. Different studies have enquired into what teachers think, know and believe in order to understand how their mental lives shape their daily practices (Borg, 2015). This interest has also emerged as it can inform English Language Teaching (ELT) educators and researchers about the needs and challenges teachers experience throughout their professional lives. Despite this growing interest, research on teachers’ cognitions about pronunciation instruction has mainly focused on experienced practitioners (e.g., Baker, 2011; Henderson et al., 2012) or on teachers after taking short courses about pronunciation pedagogy (e.g., Burri, 2016; Buss, 2017). There is need, therefore, for investigating comprehensively the developmental processes that teachers of English undergo throughout their training and careers (Burri & Baker, 2020, 2021).
This doctoral thesis is a response to this need by investigating how the pronunciation-related cognitions and practices of Chilean teachers of English develop during and after their ELT training, and the factors that contribute to them. This was carried in a cross-sectional study in which 293 pre-service and in-service teachers from three Chilean universities were studied and their cognitions compared at different stages of their training and career development. This includes student teachers from first, third and fifth years of ELT training programmes, and novice teachers.
The exploration of participants’ cognitions was carried out by means of an explanatory sequential mixed methods design, involving two phases. In phase one, online surveys were employed to provide a concrete representation of these Chilean prospective and novice teachers’ beliefs about pronunciation instruction. In phase two, 27 surveyed participants took part in semi-structured interviews which aimed at developing the initial research stage. Findings evidence there are noticeable differences in their perceptions regarding the importance of pronunciation teaching, learning goals, models, and the judgements about their own pronunciation and knowledge to teach the content. These contrasts also suggest there is a progressive detachment from traditional perspectives to a flexible pronunciation instruction approach that considers the current role of English as a global language when participants reach later stages of their professional development. However, irrespective of their training and career stage, these cohorts of prospective and novice teachers show similar cognitions about the importance of teaching segmentals and suprasegmentals and their overall confidence for pronunciation teaching. Cohorts at later stages of their development also report similar classroom practices.
Additionally, results suggest the different interpretations of the role of pronunciation for communication and as an ELT content very much depend on the level of their professional and career progression. Their prior learning experiences, professional coursework and contextual factors are ratified as shaping their cognitions (Borg, 2015), showing different levels of influence. Within these dimensions, teacher candidates’ study-abroad experiences, classroom practice and interaction with the media have helped break some paradigms with respect to traditional approaches for pronunciation instruction and speakers’ representation. Teacher education, nonetheless, constitutes the most extensively present element in these pre- and in-service teachers’ mental lives and actions. Tensions in participants' cognitions are identified as a result of the lack of a coherent narrative in these training programmes, which do not offer pronunciation pedagogy training and focus predominantly on their trainees’ linguistic accuracy development. Overall, the study highlights the complex and multifactorial nature of prospective and novice teachers’ cognitions, and the needs to continue developing professional coursework that addresses their challenges in light of these results.
... Often learners may be less concerned with being able to pass as a native L1 user than with being able to communicate effectively (Piller, 2002). Moreover, maintenance of an L1 accent or style can be seen as a mark of ongoing commitment to one's social roots and a mark of personal identity (Dörnyei & Ushioda, 2009;Moyer, 2013). ...
In 2005, Science magazine designated the problem of accounting for difficulties in L2 (second language) learning as one of the 125 outstanding challenges facing scientific research. A maturationally-based sensitive period has long been the favorite explanation for why ultimate foreign language attainment declines with age-of-acquisition. However, no genetic or neurobiological mechanisms for limiting language learning have yet been identified. At the same time, we know that cognitive, social, and motivational factors change in complex ways across the human lifespan. Emergentist theory provides a framework for relating these changes to variation in the success of L2 learning. The great variability in patterns of learning, attainment, and loss across ages, social groups, and linguistic levels provides the core motivation for the emergentist approach. Our synthesis incorporates three groups of factors which change systematically with age: environmental supports, cognitive abilities, and motivation for language learning. This extended emergentist account explains why and when second language succeeds for some children and adults and fails for others.
У дослідженні оцінювався зв’язок між загальним ступенем сприйняття іноземного акценту в англійському мовленні людей, які не є носіями мови, та різноманітними факторами. Студенти, які вивчають другу мову, часто стикаються з комунікативними проблемами через наявність іноземного акценту в їхньому мовленні, який формується під впливом рідної мови. Цей акцент може впливати на ритм, інтонацію, наголос та сегментний домен, який складається з окремих звуків мови. Це дослідження розглядає сегментний аспект вимовного акценту, вивчаючи сприйняття слухачів, коли українці спілкуються англійською мовою. Ще один висновок полягає в тому, що слухачі, як правило, краще розрізняють ступені акценту, коли слова звучать більш схоже на рідну мову. У цій статті ми обговорюємо поняття «іноземний акцент» та розглядаємо відповідні дослідження різних факторів, що сприяють його виникненню. У статті розглядається поняття іноземного акценту і те, як це явище впливає на сприйняття мови, тобто на те, наскільки точно сприймається мова, коли вона вимовляється не носієм англійської мови, а саме українським білінгвом. Крім того, дослідження аргументує вплив варіацій акценту на рівень розбірливості англійського мовлення, висвітлюючи взаємозв’язок між акцентом і розбірливістю, який вважається вирішальним у багатьох різних сферах. Ця оглядова стаття має на меті надати всебічний огляд взаємозв’язку між іноземним акцентом, ідентичністю, дискримінацією за акцентом та вивченням другої мови. У зв’язку з цим у статті спочатку розглядаються сучасні перспективи зменшення акценту, а також місце іноземного акценту в процесі вивчення другої мови. Автор визначає акцент як маркер ідентичності та обговорює цю концепцію, після чого розглядає соціальні виміри іноземного акценту і те, як він може впливати на формування ідентичності.
For a long time, Iceland has been a monoethnic and monolingual speech community, in which the Icelandic language has both served as a main element in the construction and maintenance of national identity and in which a stable evaluation system has been in place for the standard variety. Recently, however, new demographic and sociolinguistic circumstances have emerged due to increasing immigration, and, thus, rising numbers of L2 speakers of Icelandic. Against this background, it is interesting to investigate what ideas L1 speakers connect with L2 accents in Icelandic and how they link different L2 accents with the geographic origin of the L2 speaker. Drawing on methods rooted in perceptual dialectology and folk linguistics, five focus groups with thirty-two L1-speaker participants were conducted, employing a semi-structured interview guide. The participants were presented with a voice-placing task involving six verbal guises and asked to elaborate on their choices freely, thus providing emic themes connected to their voice-placing strategies. Verbal guises were produced by one L1 speaker of Icelandic and five L2 speakers with L1 American English, Danish, Tagalog, Lithuanian, and Polish. Consistent with the folk linguistic approach taken in this study, data analysis employed concepts from grounded theory. Results show that participants identify an L2 accent with great precision but experience difficulties locating an L2 accent. As to their voice-placing decisions, they resort to three main strategies, i. e. perceptions of familiarity with an accent, cultural stereotypes, and phonological features in L2 speech. Those strategies are further influenced by folk ideas on and perceptions of the speakersʼ L2 competence and accent-mimicking ability, their effort towards learning Icelandic, and perceptions of accentedness and distinct phonological features.
Epistemic injustice is inherently connected to epistemic power and epistemic agency: understanding and addressing the former allows us to better understand and address the latter, and vice versa. Yet, despite vast and rich discussions of epistemic injustice, which often invoke the notions of epistemic power and epistemic agency, both notions remain undertheorized and hence largely elusive. This book offers a systematic account of epistemic power and agency by turning to the dynamics of epistemic injustice—that is, the many forms epistemic injustice can take, the different sites and mechanisms through which it operates, and the various transformations consequently required to cultivate greater epistemic justice. Adopting standpoint theory both as a theory and as a methodology, the book focuses on several pressing social questions, such as deliberative impasses in divided societies, colonial memory, academic migration, the underrepresentation of members of non-dominant groups in certain fields, and the marginalization of minoritized minds, such as intellectually disabled people and Autistics. By analyzing these social questions through the lens of the dynamics of epistemic injustice, the book develops a systematic account of epistemic power and agency.
In this symposium piece, I follow Lu-Adler’s lead in scrutinizing the connections between linguistic Othering and prevailing yet exclusionary academic practices of knowledge production, focusing on linguistic epistemic injustice in academia. Specifically, I suggest that in a global academic context marked by sharp inequalities of opportunity due inter alia to linguistic Othering, language often operates as a threefold criterion for knowledge validation and hence for the allocation of credibility and intelligibility. I submit that linguistic selection (i.e., which language is used for knowledge production and transmission), linguistic form (i.e., the way a given language is spoken or written), and linguistic content (i.e., the words or concepts a given language offers and uses to describe and make sense of the world) are all ways in which language can be used to validate or invalidate processes of knowledge production and thereby result in unjust allocations of credibility and intelligibility. I argue that language can thus sometimes function as what I have called elsewhere a “meta-epistemic filter,” which creates an unjust credibility and intelligibility economy by predetermining in a structurally biased way what kinds of epistemic contributions are (made) available or count as admissible or inadmissible in the first place. I close by exploring how we might foster greater linguistic epistemic justice in academia by cultivating meta-linguistic awareness and how this might be facilitated by attending to the role that experiential (as opposed to merely propositional) knowledge might play.
Bilingualism and the study of speech sounds are two of the largest areas of inquiry in linguistics. This Handbook sits at the intersection of these fields, providing a comprehensive overview of the most recent, cutting-edge work on the sound systems of adult and child bilinguals. Bringing together contributions from an international team of world-leading experts, it covers all aspects of the speech perception, production and processing of bilingual individuals, as well as surveying cross-linguistic influences on the phonetics and phonology of bilingualism. The thirty-five chapters are divided into thematic areas covering the theoretical foundations and methodological approaches employed to investigate bilingual speech, overviews of major findings and developments in child and adult bilingual phonology and phonetics, descriptions of the major areas of research within the speech perception, production and processing of the bilingual individual, and examinations of various predictors of cross-linguistic influence and variables affecting the outcomes of bilingual speech.
One byproduct of the technological advances that have given rise to the global sense of community is the increased frequency with which people from different countries and cultures come together for social interaction. Societies that remain without the influence of others beyond their borders have all but disappeared and the world has become, to a great extent, a meeting place where all people can have a voice. Cultural isolation is now viewed as an antiquated idea that has been rendered virtually nonexistent. As noted by Ortiz and Seymour (The culturally competent school psychologist, in Terjesen MT, Thielking M (eds) The Australian handbook of school psychology, Springer Books, pp 81–110, 2017), “The natural consequence of bringing people together in one manner or another is an increase in the diversity of populations that heretofore had remained relatively homogenous. Yet with all the positive aspects that diversity brings with it, there are challenges that accompany it as well. Perhaps no other social institution has felt the impact of this change more so than the educational system” (p. 81). Given the prominence, salience, and necessity of language in the delivery of instruction of any type, students identified as SLLs bring unique and important challenges to the consultation process. Regardless of the consultation model that is implemented, a lack of understanding of the manner in which language interacts with cognitive and academic development will likely undermine efforts to provide services that are effective and appropriate. The focus of this chapter is to provide readers with an adequate understanding of these issues that can be used subsequently as the foundations upon which consultation services can be rendered in a way that is responsive to the needs of SLLs.
The article is devoted to the problems of perception of foreign-accented speech in modern English-language communication. The theoretical aspects of foreign language accent typology and potential difficulties of perception are considered. The article describes the course of preparation and conduct of an experiment on the auditory perception of East Asian and European accent types in English by Russian-speaking and foreign students. The results show that the typology of foreign accent phenomena in English speech of bilinguals according to the global regional standards is objectively perceived by the participants of the perception experiment, while identifying the speaker’s nationality within these standards is likely to be problematic. The proximity of one's own accent in non-native speech to the perceived one contributes to the success of communication.
In this article, we advocate a speakerhood studies approach as part of an effort to decenter the 'native speaker' in linguistics. Recent critiques of native-speakerhood problematize this construct's links to essentializing discourses born of ethnolinguistic nationalism and colonialism and advocate for more specific and less reductionist approaches to describing speakers in linguistics (e.g. Babel & Grammon 2021, Birkeland et al. 2024, Cheng et al. 2021). We argue that it is important to consider—indeed, to center—conceptions of speakerhood in multilingual, transnational communities that offer a contrast to discourses centered on language purism, nationalism, and standard language ideologies. We examine data from speakers of Quechua, analyzing ways in which their ideologies of speakerhood diverge from naturalized scientific discourses in linguistics, in order to demonstrate the possibilities and the stakes of a speakerhood studies approach.
Native speakers of English commonly perceive some social variants of their language to be more prestigious than others. It is less clear, however, whether nonnative English speakers from immigrant communities come to internalize similar language stereotypes. The present study analysed, through a language attitude survey, a total of 40 Korean American college students’ reactions to tape-recorded samples of five socially stratified varieties of English commonly heard in the U.S. Results indicated that Korean American college students perceived a Standard American English (SAE) typical of broadcast English in the U.S. most favourably. Nonstandard varieties (regional and ethnic dialects), especially African American English, were judged as less favourable. SAE and its speaker was associated with positive qualities on rating scales, while nonstandard guises were rated less favourably on the same characteristics. This study provides a greater understanding of how different English varieties are perceived by an immigrant community in the U.S. and invites future studies of English language attitudes in other minority communities.
The volume espouses an ecosystemic standpoint on multilingual acquisition and learning, viewing language development and use as both ontogenesis and phylogenesis. Multilingualism is inclusively used to refer to sociolinguistic diversity and pluralism. Whether speech, writing, gesture, or body movement, language is a conduit that carries meaning within a complex, fluid, and context-dependent framework that engages different aspects of the individual, the communicative interaction, communicative acts, and social parameters. Continually modified over the years to better represent its multidisciplinary scope, the sociobiological notion of language has found steady and productive ground within major theoretical frameworks, which, individually or holistically, contribute to a rounded understanding of language acquisition, learning, and use by exploring both system-internal and system-external factors and their interaction. Summoning the work of leading academics, the volume outlines the changing dynamics of multilingualism in children and adults internationally with the latest advances and under-represented coverage that highlight the ecosystemic nature of multilingual acquisition, learning, and use.
Cet article présente les premiers résultats de la méthode de la cartographie systématique appliquée à la représentation du paysage de la recherche en prononciation de l’anglais L2. Cette recherche s’inscrit dans une démarche de sciences ouvertes et d’enseignement / apprentissage en lien avec les résultats de la recherche, dans le contexte d’émergence du paradigme de l’intelligibilité, en regard du paradigme du modèle natif.Le corpus global de cette cartographie comprend 485 articles publiés entre 1995 et 2020 et présentant des recherches expérimentales sur la prononciation de l’anglais L2. Ces articles sont issus de 35 revues majeures dans les domaines de la phonologie/phonétique (PHON), l’acquisition des langues secondes (SLA), et l’enseignement-apprentissage des langues (SLLT). Les revues sélectionnées sont de rang international, accessibles en ligne, et leur langue de publication est l’anglais. Nous présentons ici les résultats pour les années 1995-1996, 2007-2008 et 2019-2020, soit un total de 117 articles. Trois aspects sont cartographiés : les locuteurs et récepteurs présents dans les expérimentations, les aspects phonologiques traités, et la prise en compte du construit d’intelligibilité.La cartographie des locuteurs dans les expérimentations montre que leur nombre augmente, même si le recours à un grand nombre de participants reste rare. Le nombre de récepteurs subit quant à lui une nette augmentation dans les recherches. La norme native reste un point de référence important, en particulier dans le domaine PHON. Des évolutions vers la prise en compte de situations de communication entre locuteurs non-natifs sont néanmoins visibles. Parmi les recherches traitant d’aspects phonologiques, une majorité s’intéresse aux aspects segmentaux, bien que la prise en compte des aspects suprasegmentaux ait augmenté entre 1995 et 2020, notamment concernant les caractéristiques temporelles du signal. Les articles sur les aspects segmentaux traitent le plus souvent de groupes consonantiques spécifiques ou d’un ensemble de paires minimales pertinentes pour les apprenants concernés plutôt que de la production d’un segment en particulier. Pour finir, on observe une augmentation de la proportion d’articles prenant en compte le construit d’intelligibilité entre 1995 et 2020, avec une hausse de l’intérêt pour les recherches centrées sur ce construit au milieu des années 2000. Une plus grande quantité d’articles prenant en compte l’intelligibilité est publiée dans le domaine PHON (71%) que dans les domaines SLA et SLLT (58%).
Public debates on linguistic integration as a socially desired outcome often share a prevailing sentiment that newcomers ought to “learn the language.” But the intensity of that sentiment is rarely accompanied by an equally robust understanding of what, precisely, it means in practice. This results in a notion of linguistic integration with an inbuilt tension between a seemingly pragmatic and commonsensical appearance, on the one hand, and a minimal action‐guidance capacity, on the other hand. This paper explores this intriguing tension, and it identifies three moral and practical challenges that this challenge presents to the normative theorizing of the practical ethics of linguistic integration: (1) a predicament of arbitrary treatment; (2) the interpersonal structure of social and linguistic learning; and (3) the affective dimension of linguistic integration.
In this article we apply a folk linguistic listening task to examine how the Tver’ Karelians in Russia recognise a sample of their own dialect and a sample of Border Karelian (spoken in Finland), both recorded about 60 years ago. Tver’ Karelian and Border Karelian have a shared origin in Proto-Karelian but have been diverging from each other since the seventeenth century; the former has had strong influence from Russian and the latter from Finnish. The study investigates the Tver’ Karelians’ awareness of and observations about the Karelian language and shows that they easily recognise their own dialect, whereas the Border Karelian sample is harder to recognise and describe. However, the respondents observed and described lexical and phonetic features of this sample, and two thirds of them located the sample in the republic of Karelia or in Finland, mostly based on the ‘accent’ of the speaker.
It is well known that adult learners have great difficulty when attempting to learn the sounds of a second language (L2), as observed in the phenomenon commonly known as “foreign-accented speech.” Despite the fact that adults have well-developed cognitive capabilities and have superior abilities for many complex learning and problem solving tasks, if the task is to learn the sound system of a language, adults are generally outperformed by children. How can we explain this paradox? This chapter builds a case to show that the explanation crucially involves perception.
This stimulating collection of articles from leading international researchers provides a state-of-the-art overview of core issues in second language speech perception and production. Aimed at phoneticians, speech scientists, psycholinguists, applied linguists, and pedagogical specialists, it presents engaging discussions of fundamental problems and controversies within the field, as well as new empirical findings arising from a variety of methodological approaches. Its twenty chapters, inspired by the ground-breaking work of James E. Flege, address such topics as the theoretical underpinnings of second language speech learning; the nature and etiology of foreign accents; the effects of age, experience, and training; speech intelligibility; and the acquisition of vowels, consonants, tone, and prosody. This volume will serve as a valuable resource, not only for researchers, but for anyone wishing to gain an understanding of an area of linguistics that is rapidly growing in importance.
Negative attitudes toward foreign-accented speech have led to discrimination against second-language users in Canada. This article reviews aspects of the Canadian human rights process as they pertain to language and accent, and identifies three types of accent discrimination arising in human rights cases: discrimination in employment due to inappropriate concern with accent, discrimination due to accent stereotyping, and harassment based on accent. It is argued that ESL teachers can work to stop this kind of discrimination by developing an understanding of the role of accent in communication and by promoting informed attitudes toward second-language users' speech, in both the classroom and the community.
Empirical research since the 1970s has supported the claim that elements of L2 performance decline with increasing age. The question of whether this evidence supports the CPH in its original formulation, however, remains debatable. This state of affairs is largely attributable to researchers' different foci in their investigation of the CPH's implications for L2 learning and to their varied interpretation of the data. In addition, research has identified a significant number of learners whose L2 acquisition began late but who nonetheless achieved nativelike L2 proficiency; thus the evidence from research in this area does not preclude successful L2 acquisition by all late learners. Recent research on sex differences in language suggests that there may indeed be an underlying difference in processing between males and females, possibly modulated by hormones. Specifically, the declarative/procedural model claims that due to a verbal memory advantage, females tend to memorize previously encountered complex forms (e.g., regular past tense forms) in the declarative system, while males tend to rule-compute them in the procedural system in real time. Recall that no difference is posited in processing of memorized forms, which are subserved by the declarative system in both sexes. This difference has not yet been widely tested, but preliminary evidence does support the notion. Furthermore, these sex differences have important implications for how males and females learn and process an L2 and should be taken into consideration in the analyses of SLA research, especially from a processing perspective. Memory has long been implicated as an integral part of language learning aptitude. Models of WM that have emerged since the 1970s and 1980s include mechanisms and processes that are closely tied to language acquisition, and thus these models have provided a productive direction for research in both aptitude and language acquisition to take. Experimental studies have shown evidence of a relationship between WM capacity and several aspects of language learning, and the field is moving closer to theoretical consensus on the construct of WM. It is important for future research, however, to define the limits of the construct as well as the functions and subsystems that are implicated in WM. And as the theory evolves in this way, it must continue to inform researchers as they seek to refine the instruments they use to evaluate WM in empirical research. Just like typists, chess players, and computer programmers, experienced (bilingual) language learners appear to have an advantage when compared to novice (monolingual) learners. As with most complex phenomena, a number of factors need to be brought into the equation in order to be adequately explained. Attitude, motivation, and degree of bilingualism are just a few of those factors. From an information-processing perspective, however, processing strategies, metalinguistic knowledge, and WM capacity are posited to contribute to the superior performance of bilinguals over monolinguals when it comes to learning other languages. © 2005 by The Georgetown University Press. All rights reserved.
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Variation is a topic that is increasingly occupying the attention of phonologists. This chapter first defines what we mean by phonological variation and explains how it is typically investigated by conventional phonologists and by sociolinguists. We suggest that the two groups differ markedly in the areas of variation that they have explored. We then look at how phonological variability is acquired by young children as part of their first language, concluding that it is acquired simultaneously with other aspects of phonology. We consider how variability in child-directed speech might affect the acquisition of phonology — and of variability. We follow the individual through childhood and adolescence to adulthood and ask how a person’s phonology might change as a result of changing linguistic allegiances. The final section addresses the importance of variation to language change and asks whether sound change is predictable.
This chapter explores the origins and history of American English, with an underlying focus on its linguistic diversity. Guaiacum, taken from the Taino language in the Bahamas in 1533, was the first American word to enter the English language. But, as Richard W. Bailey notes, English speakers migrating to the North American mainland and the Caribbean from the seventeenth century on had many other contacts with Native American languages, and influences from Native American languages on American English vocabulary were extensive. They include words like chocolate, canoe, and powwow, which have survived to the present day, and words like mangummenauk (an edible acorn) and netop (‘a good friend’), which have not survived. This chapter surveys the population growth and linguistic development of the USA century by century, repeatedly acknowledging the inputs from its various ethnic strands: for example, bogus (African), juke-box (African American), cookie (Dutch), bayou (French), macaroni (Italian), geisha (Japanese), vigilante (Spanish), lutefish(Swedish), and bagel (Yiddish). American English is more than the sum of inheritances from its input languages, of course, and this chapter details its many innovations, including initialisms like AIDS, manufactured words like Kleenex, derived forms like antinuclear, compounds like rock star, and shortenings like bra. But at the heart of the story throughout is the relative multilingualism and multidialectalism of the USA and its corresponding linguistic attitudes and ideologies. In the seventeenth century, for instance, pidgin-like varieties of English were exemplified among both Amerindian and African speakers, and there was open respect for linguistic diversity and substantial interest in it.
This chapter explores a topic of enduring interest to many Americans (and their counterparts in England): the distinctiveness of American English vis-à-vis British English. After cautioning that we should be careful to consider features in comparable registers or situations (e.g., newspaper writing with newspaper writing and conversation with conversation), Edward Finegan launches into a discussion of vocabulary differences on either side of the Atlantic. Many of the examples he discusses involve automobiles, traffic, and travel (British motorway and roundabout vs. American freeway and traffic circle), but other domains - household items and package labels - are rich in contrasts too. A noteworthy source of distinctive American words (some very old) are those borrowed from the languages of Native American and Latino populations, including place names like Malibu (from Chumash) and El Paso (from Spanish) and foods like persimmon and tortilla. Going beyond the stereotypical “tomayto/tomahto” examples, the chapter surveys a number of recurrent pronunciation differences between American and British English, some involving consonants (pronouncing /t/in words like auto as a sound like [d] or as an aspirated [th]), some vowels (“mo-bal” vs. “mo-bile”), and some stress or accent (garáge vs. gárage). Among other things noted, regional pronunciation is less varied in the USA than in Britain; although Britain is geographically smaller, it has a longer and more complex settlement history.
This article reports on a study that asks whether students were still engaged in developing their pronunciation three months after their course had finished. Students who attended a semester-long course which employed the Noticing-Reformulation technique (Smith & Beckmann, 2005) reported heightened awareness of pronunciation in their own and others' speech and felt that they were able to continue to develop their own pronunciation. Students mention specifically the value of hearing their own voice on tape, and of modelling other speakers. This article argues that increased awareness of phonological features, alongside production assistance, supports medium-term, autonomous phonological change.
Mass media The way outgroup members are portrayed in the media is widely believed to have consequences for levels of prejudice and stereotyping in the mass public. The visual nature of television and its heavy viewership make it a key source of information for impressions that ingroup members may have of other social groups. However, most research to date has focused on documenting the portrayals of various groups in television content, with only a few studies documenting the causal impact of television viewing. To further understanding of this hypothesis, we outline the contributions and limitations of past work, and point to the most promising theoretical frameworks for studying media influence on outgroup attitudes. Stereotypes, Gordon Allport wrote, ‘are socially supported, continually revived and hammered in, by our media of mass communication–by novels, short stories, newspaper items, movies, stage, radio, and television’ (1954, p. 200). Yet, Allport provided no direct evidence ...
Are pronunciations such as cawfee and chawklit bad English? Is slang improper? Is it incorrect to mix English and Spanish, as in Yo quiero Taco Bell? Can you write "Who do you trust?" rather than "Whom do you trust?" This book looks at traditional notions of bad language and argues that they are often based in sterile conventionality. Examining grammar and style, cursing, slang, political correctness, regional dialects, ethnic dialects, foreign accents, and language mixing, this book discusses the strong feelings evoked by language variation, from objections to pronunciation, to complaints about bilingual education. It explains the natural desire for uniformity in writing and speaking, and traces the association of mainstream norms to ideas about refinement, intelligence, education, character, national unity, and political values. The book argues that none of these qualities is inherently connected to language. It is tempting but wrong to think of slang, dialects, and nonstandard grammar as simply breaking the rules of good English. Instead, we should view language as made up of alternative forms of orderliness adopted by speakers depending on their purpose. Thus, we can study the structure and context of nonstandard language in order to illuminate and enrich traditional forms of language, and make policy decisions based on an informed engagement.
Everybody fights about something or other and language is usually at the very center of the conflict. We use language as we fight our battles, but when the dispute is over what is said or how it was worded, language becomes the very cause of the battle. Although there are many arenas in which language disputes can be observed, civil law cases offer the most fertile examples of this warfare over words. What did the business contract actually say or mean? Was there evidence of deceptive language practice in its promotional materials? Can the warning label become part of a product liability charge? Did the company evidence age discrimination or race discrimination against its employees or customers? Was one company's trademark too similar to another's? Did the company engage in copyright infringement? Was it guilty of procurement fraud in its business proposal? This book is about the way linguistic analysis describes, exposes, and helps corporations analyze disputed meanings and practices in various types of civil cases where the central issues revolve around the way language was used in commerce. It also provides all of the language data that was practical to include so that others can do their own analyses.
This study was designed to determine how ethnicity, the amount of perceived accent or dialect, and comprehensibility affect a speaker's employability. Sixty human resource specialists judged 3 female potential applicants. The applicants represented speakers of Spanish-influenced English, Asian-influenced English, and African American Vernacular English. When the speaker's perceived accent or dialect was minimal, perceived ethnicity did not affect employability. However, all speakers with maximally perceived accents or dialects were given a lower employability rating. Thus, speakers with a maximally perceived accent or dialect should consider accent or dialectal modification if their comprehensibility or prospective employability is compromised. © 2006 by the American Counseling Association. All rights reserved.
This stimulating collection of articles from leading international researchers provides a state-of-the-art overview of core issues in second language speech perception and production. Aimed at phoneticians, speech scientists, psycholinguists, applied linguists, and pedagogical specialists, it presents engaging discussions of fundamental problems and controversies within the field, as well as new empirical findings arising from a variety of methodological approaches. Its twenty chapters, inspired by the ground-breaking work of James E. Flege, address such topics as the theoretical underpinnings of second language speech learning; the nature and etiology of foreign accents; the effects of age, experience, and training; speech intelligibility; and the acquisition of vowels, consonants, tone, and prosody. This volume will serve as a valuable resource, not only for researchers, but for anyone wishing to gain an understanding of an area of linguistics that is rapidly growing in importance.
This study investigated bilinguals' ability to produce language-specific acoustic values for consonants and vowels that are highly similar across the two languages. To investigate this ability, we targeted early bilinguals who had acquired two languages before the age of 12 and continued to use both languages on a daily basis. These adult bilinguals were separated into two groups: simultaneous bilinguals (or nearly so) who acquired both languages by their third year, and sequential bilinguals who acquired their second language between the ages of 8 and 12 years. Their speech production was studied through an acoustic analysis of stop consonants (voice onset time) and vowels (formant structure). Despite the differences in age of acquisition, these bilinguals used both languages on a regular basis at work and at home and were very proficient in both languages. In contrast to other early bilinguals who undergo a change in language dominance from their first language to their second, the participants in this study maintained relatively balanced abilities in both languages. This study revealed that childhood bilinguals can maintain contrasts across their two languages, even for very similar phonemes.
1. PreliminariesFor several decades the topic of age effects on
ultimate attainment has been high on the agenda of many second language
acquisition researchers. A first major evaluation of research in this area was
published by Long (1990), who summarized the findings of studies conducted since
Penfield and Roberts (1959) and Lenneberg (1967) developed their versions of a
critical period hypothesis for language acquisition. Long (1990: 280) argued
that the combined findings of the studies conducted to date warranted the
conclusion that
The ability to attain native-like phonological
abilities in an SL begins to decline by age 6 in many individuals and to be
beyond anyone beginning later than age 12, no matter how motivated they might be
or how much opportunity they might have. Native-like morphology and syntax only
seem to be possible for those beginning before age 15.
In line with most proponents of a critical period for
SLA, Long (1990: 280) posited that the decline in abilities is due to
incremental (and presumably irreversible) losses of neural plasticity due to
brain maturation.
When people talk about the use of English as a language for cross-cultural communication, the one question which is asked most frequently is "How can we insure mutual intelligibility among speakers from different cultures?" This paper is a report of an empirical study on this question involving 1,386 people from eleven countries. There is no claim that the question has been fully answered, but hopefully the report does provide insights into the question and information towards the answer.
Reported in this paper is a longitudinal study of the acquisition and use of the English sound system by Japanese learners of English. The central point is that the learner's second-language system must be a system of variable rules if it is to account for the variability (wide assortment of pronunciations) in his production, the fluctuations between his in-class and out-of-class performance, and the regularities in his process of acquisition. The model used in this research is the variability model of sociolinguistics. Discussed here are both the theoretical and practical values of this study. First, it captures the regular patterning of diversity in the learner's speech, giving the developing theory of interlanguage a firmer grounding. Second, the study provides insights to help the classroom teacher better understand and evaluate student performance in pronunciation.
In this chapter, we propose that consideration of current theory regarding the nature of globalisation’s impact on the social and political world order is of particular relevance to empirical work in the Outer Circle and Expanding Circle. Locating English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) in the transformationalist perspective of globalisation, we argue that far from a trend towards increased homogenisation, a fundamental consequence of interconnectedness (a defining feature of late modernity) is the blurring of distinctions between internal and external affairs, between the international and domestic and thus between the local and global, and that this blurring leads, on the contrary, to an increased hybridist of cultures. The chapter proposes that the transformationalist perspective shares much with the way ELF research approaches the use of English in lingua franca settings, whether these settings occur in Inner, Outer or Expanding Circle contexts. We argue that ELF interactional settings are sites where distinctions are blurred, and where there is considerable linguacultural intermixture. By reporting on other corpora and drawing on one of our own (Dewey's) corpus of naturally occurring talk in lingua franca settings, we present empirical evidence which suggests that the use of English in ELF communication is a perfect example of the kind of transformation of cultural resources, here linguistic ones, that are currently occurring in a globalising world. In situating descriptions of ELF within a theoretical framework of globalisation, especially in light of the continuing growth in discourse about both ELF and World Englishes, we take account of the fuller context within which debate and analysis regarding the diffusion of English internationally are situated.
The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of the ethnicity of speakers, as suggested in accents, on judgments of suitability for a job, and to establish the relationship between listeners' attitudes and the evaluation of accented speech. 203 subjects acted as personnel consultants and evaluated 10 job applicants for four jobs varying in social status. Five candidates spoke with an English-Canadian and five with a foreign accent. Data showed discrimination in favour of English-Canadian and against foreign-accented speakers, foreign-accented applicants were rated lower for the higher status jobs, but higher for lower status jobs. Measures of listeners' attitudes (authoritarianism and ethnocentrism) showed low but significant correlations with discrimination.
This study explores the long-term effects of starting age and the effects of input in an instructed language learning setting. First, with respect to the effects of starting age, the findings suggest that in the long term and after similar amounts of input, starting age is not a predictor of language outcomes. Second, the study examines the effects of input using multiple measures derived from responses to an extended questionnaire. The analysis reveals modest but significant effects of input on participants' proficiency, confirming that input never ceases to play a role in an instructed language learning setting, in contrast with opposite claims from studies of naturalistic language learning.
This article describes an approach for dealing with the pronunciation of advanced ESL learners who may be relatively fluent but who remain quite inaccurate. Their pronunciation is often thought of as being “fossilized” (Selinker 1972), highly resistant to change. The specific group for which this approach was designed is somewhat unique: foreign professionals, many of whom have been in English- speaking environments for years. Nonetheless, the general framework and the method involved are applicable in many contexts. For such fossilized learners, traditional pronunciation methods are often ineffective. A successful, somewhat unorthodox teaching program that draws on research from several disciplines is outlined.
As the numbers of international teaching assistants (ITAs) continue to increase, cross-cultural communication has become an integral part of academic life in universities. ITA instruction programs recognize that successful communication between ITAs and their students requires an ability to use language appropriate to the classroom context and an awareness of the expectations of native-speaking discourse participants. One area of teaching discourse that is frequently overlooked in this discussion is its intonation structure. This study compares one intonational feature, tone choice, in 12 parallel teaching presentations given by 6 Chinese and 6 North American male teaching assistants (TAs). Naturally occurring presentations were recorded in the classroom, and tone choices were analyzed using instrumental and auditory analysis within Brazil's (1997) model of discourse intonation. The results showed that the native-English-speaking TAs systematically exploited their tone choices to increase the accessibility of the lecture material and establish rapport with their students. Conversely, the typical tonal composition of the ITAs' presentations obfuscated the information structure and frequently characterized these speakers as unsympathetic and uninvolved. These results suggest that tone choice contributes to communication failure between ITAs and their students and prompt the recommendation that tone choice be directly addressed in the linguistic and pedagogical components of ITA instruction programs.
Sixty-six intermediate students studying Spanish at Indiana University were measured on 12 variables believed to be related to pronunciation accuracy. The students' pronunciation was rated by three judges. Variables that related most to pronunciation accuracy were: (a) attitude or individual concern for pronunciation; (b) subject's degree of field independence (FI) as measured by the Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT) (Witkin et al., 1971); and (c) subject's degree of right hemispheric specialization (RT) in relation to accurate pronunciation on a free-speech exercise. Variables that proved to have little or no relationship to pronunciation were: (a) left/integrated hemispheric specialization, (b) gender, (c) foreign travel, (d) other languages learned/spoken, (e) overall Grade Point Average (GPA), (f) GPA in Spanish, and (g) having Spanish-speaking relatives. The relationship between pronunciation accuracy and subjects' total number of years of formal instruction in Spanish approached significance; however, this relationship was lost in a multiple regression analysis when factors such as attitude and FI were taken into consideration. The results suggest that although FI and RT hemispheric specialization relate to accurate target language pronunciation in certain tasks, attitude or concern for pronunciation accuracy proved to be the most significant factor. Finally, a classroom model of pronunciation instruction is posited, as well as implications for future research.
This study investigated syllable duration as a measure of speech rhythm in the English spoken by Hong Kong Cantonese speakers. A computer dataset of Hong Kong English speech data amounting to 4,404 syllables was used. Measurements of syllable duration were taken, investigated statistically, and then compared with measurements of 1,847 syllables from an existing corpus of British English speakers. It was found that, although some similarities existed, the Hong Kong English speakers showed smaller differences in the relative syllable duration of tonic, stressed, unstressed, and weakened syllables than the British English speakers. This result is discussed with regard to potential intelligibility problems, features of possible language transfer from Cantonese to English with respect to speech rhythm, and implications for language teaching professionals.
In this study we identify some of the phonetic parameters that correlate with nonnative speakers' (NNSs) perceptual judgments of accent in English and investigate NNS listener perceptions of English from a World Englishes point of view. Our main experiment involved 3,200 assessments of the perceived degree of accent in English of two speaker groups: 11 Japanese and 5 Americans. Two additional and separate phonetically untrained listener groups, one composed of 10 Japanese and the other of 5 Americans, did the perceptual assessments. A follow-up auditory analysis by two phonetically trained listeners and an acoustic analysis showed that the untrained Japanese listeners used primarily nonsegmental parameters (intonation, fluency, and speech rate) to make perceptual judgments, whereas segmental parameters had a relatively minor role. Untrained American listeners exhibited the opposite pattern: Segmentals (especially /r/ and /l/) figured prominently, and nonsegmentals played a relatively minor role. Our study shows how native-speaking (NS) and NNS listeners perceive degree of accent in English in fundamentally different ways, each based on different phonetic parameters. We consider the implications that our findings might have for a recently proposed phonological syllabus for English as an international language (EIL) designed with NNS-NNS interactions in mind.
