scholarly journals The Processability Hierarchy in Second Language Acquisition: Advanced Learners of Japanese as a Second Language

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoichi Mukai
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Advanced Learners

scholarly journals 'You wouldn't pass the salt' – from accusation to request or the impact of learning context and learner identity on the acquisition of situational variation in highly advanced learners of English

2010 ◽  
pp. 53-58
Author(s):  
Anne Marie Devlin
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Learning Context ◽  
Advanced Learners ◽  
Learner Identity ◽  
Language Environment ◽  
The Impact

The field of second language acquisition is a fascinating and global topic. Many of us have spent long hours poring over textbooks, memorising vocabulary and perfecting our grammar only to find that when we arrive in the country no-one understands us or our use of language unexpectedly gives rise to hilarity or even causes offense. We've been told, 'Don't worry. Spend a few weeks in the country and you'll soon soak up the language'. Again, this is not always the case. While many learners return from their time abroad showing and feeling huge improvements, there are others who seem not to have benefited from the experience. In fact, it is well known that people can live in another language environment for years and never 'pick up' the language. So, if learning doesn't necessarily help and spending time in the country doesn't always produce the desired results, then what are the ...

scholarly journals A influência da idade na inteligibilidade e no grau de sotaque estrangeiro de alunos brasileiros de inglês de nível avançado

2015 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronaldo Mangueira Lima Jr
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Foreign Accent ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Phonological Acquisition ◽  
Advanced Learners ◽  
Native Speakers Of English ◽  
Exceptional Learners

Resumo Este estudo investigou a influência que a idade com a qual brasileiros começam a estudar inglês no Brasil pode ter na sua pronúncia ao final do curso avançado de inglês, mais especificamente na inteligibilidade e no grau de sotaque estrangeiro. Alunos que estavam cursando o último semestre de seus cursos e haviam começado o curso em diferentes idades foram gravados lendo um parágrafo e falando espontaneamente. Um grupo controle de falantes nativos de inglês também foi gravado desempenhando as mesmas tarefas. Os níveis de inteligibilidade e de grau de sotaque estrangeiro dos participantes foram avaliados por um painel de nove juízes, e os resultados mostram uma tendência de declínio na pronúncia com o aumento da idade de início do curso, com um grande declínio mesmo entre o grupo controle e os aprendizes mais novos. Alguns aprendizes excepcionais, com níveis de inteligibilidade e de grau de sotaque estrangeiro próximos aos dos falantes nativos, foram encontrados. Os resultados estão alinhados ao conceito de aquisição de segunda língua como sistema dinâmico, sob a qual os dados foram analisados. Palavras-chave: Aquisição de segunda língua. Aquisição fonológica. Pronúncia. Inglês-L2. Inteligibilidade.   The influence of age on intelligibility and rate of foreign accent of Brazilian advanced learners of English  Abstract This study has investigated the influence that the age in which Brazilian learners begin to study English in Brazil may have on their pronunciation at the end of their advanced English courses, especially on their intelligibility and rate of foreign accent. Learners who were in the last semester of their courses and who had begun studying at different ages were recorded reading a paragraph and speaking spontaneously. A control group of native speakers of English was also recorded performing the same tasks. Participants’ levels of intelligibility and of rate of foreign accent were assessed by a panel of nine judges and the results show a tendency of decline in their pronunciation as the age in which they began studying increases; with a sharp decline even between the control group and the earliest starters. A few exceptional learners, with intelligibility and rate of foreign accent levels close to those of the native speakers, were found. The results are aligned with the concept of second language acquisition as a dynamic system, under which the data were analyzed. Keywords: Second language acquisition. Phonological acquisition. Pronunciation. English as a foreign language. Intelligibility.

Production of Korean Fricatives in Second Language Acquisition

2006 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 17-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sang Yee Cheon
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Speech Production ◽  
Acoustic Characteristics ◽  
Advanced Learners ◽  
Amplitude Difference ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Beginning Learners

Abstract. This article examines the acoustic characteristics of Korean fricatives (lax /s/ and tense /s*/) in three vowel contexts (/a/, /i/, and /u/) in the speech of AE learners of Korean. AE learners fall into two groups based on their proficiency. Acoustically, Korean /s*/ is more similar to English /s/ than the latter is to Korean /s/. In terms of A/F duration ratio, the more similar sound (Korean /s*/) was easier for AE advanced learners of Korean to produce, while in terms of amplitude difference AE learners did not distinguish the Korean fricatives at all regardless of their proficiency level. In terms of the mean A/F duration ratio, the Korean /s*/ was authentically produced by AE advanced learners, but AE advanced and beginning learners of Korean inaccurately produced Korean /s/ was L2 advanced learners and L1 speakers used different strategies in the production of Korean fricatives. AE KSL advanced learners showed primacy of duration over amplitude, while AE KSL beginning learners showed no significant acoustic cue effects in differentiating the Korean fricatives /s/ and /s*/ in production. As in the speech production of Korean fricatives /s/ and /s*/ by AE learners of Korean, factors other than years spent learning L2 should be considered to explain the acquisition of L2 sounds.

scholarly journals Acquisition of Japanese quantity contrasts by L1 Cantonese speakers

2017 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 419-448 ◽  
Author(s):  
Albert Lee ◽  
Peggy Mok
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
First Language ◽  
Advanced Learners ◽  
Resultant Data ◽  
Small Set ◽  
Vowel Quantity

This article explores the acquisition of Japanese vowel and consonant quantity contrasts by Cantonese learners. Our goal is to examine whether transfer from first language (L1) is possible when L1 experience is phonemic but restricted to a small set of sounds (short vs. long vowels) and when the experience is non-phonemic, derived only at morpheme boundaries (short vs. long consonants). We recruited 20 Cantonese learners (beginner and advanced learners) and 5 native speakers of Japanese, who produced target stimuli varying in consonant and vowel quantity framed in a carrier sentence. The resultant data were converted into several durational ratios for analyses. Results showed that both the beginners and advanced learners were able to distinguish between short vs. long vowels and consonants in Japanese, but only the native speakers enhanced the contrasts in slower speech. It was also found that in most cases the learners were able to lengthen the vowel before a geminate (i.e. long consonant), a secondary cue to Japanese consonant quantity known to be rare across languages. These results are discussed in terms of current theories of second language acquisition.

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