Foreign accent in advanced learners

Two successful profiles

Carmen Muñoz | University of Barcelona

David Singleton | Trinity College Dublin

Research has generally found age of learning (AOL) (i.e., age of initial significant L2 exposure) to predict degree of foreign accent (FA), while length of residence (LOR) has sometimes been seen as simply a corollary of AOL. The subjects in the present study were twelve late L2 learners of English with an average AOL of 22.5 and an average LOR of 10, plus a native-speaker control group. All the English-L2 subjects had Spanish and/or Catalan as L1. Short extracts were taken from their oral retelling of a film narrative and judged for FA by four native speakers of English. Language background data were elicited by questionnaire and interview. A significant difference overall emerged between native speakers and non-natives in terms of FA ratings. However, two of the learners scored within the native-speaker range. The discussion examines the possible influence of an array of factors on degree of FA, and explores what might underlie the native-like performance of the two most successful learners.

Published online: 10 August 2007
https://doi.org/10.1075/eurosla.7.10mun

Cited by

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Moyer, A.

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Moyer, Alene

2017. Autonomy in second language phonology: Choice vs. limits. Language Teaching 50:3 ► pp. 395 ff.

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2011. Input and long-term effects of starting age in foreign language learning. IRAL - International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching 49:2

Muñoz, Carmen & David Singleton

2011. A critical review of age-related research on L2 ultimate attainment. Language Teaching 44:1 ► pp. 1 ff.

Nagle, Charles L., Alfonso Morales-Front, Colleen Moorman & Cristina Sanz

2016. In Handbook of Research on Study Abroad Programs and Outbound Mobility [Advances in Higher Education and Professional Development, ], ► pp. 673 ff.

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2016. A meta-analysis: Age and second language grammar acquisition. System 60 ► pp. 147 ff.

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2012. In New Perspectives on Individual Differences in Language Learning and Teaching [Second Language Learning and Teaching, ], ► pp. 97 ff.

Singleton, David & Simone E. Pfenninger

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Sypiańska, Jolanta

2021. Production of voice onset time (VOT) by senior Polish learners of English. Open Linguistics 7:1 ► pp. 316 ff.

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