L2 immersion causes non-native-like L1 pronunciation in German attriters

2018

Language Learning

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This investigation aimed to provide insights into the controversial debate on the role that age at onset of bilingualism plays in human language capacity with a focus on what it entails for first language (L1) attrition. L1 performance of Turkish immigrants (n = 57) in the United Kingdom with age at onset ranging between 7 and 34 years was compared to that of Turkish monolingual controls (n = 29) across two linguistic properties: structural complexity and accent. Findings generally showed that although the immigrants achieved nativelike proficiency with respect to the overall structural complexity of their L1, this was not the case for accent as those with an earlier age of onset were less likely to sound like native Turkish speakers. We discuss these findings in relation to two competing theoretical models of age effects and suggest that attrition data need to be better accommodated within these models. Open Practices This article has been awarded an Open Materials badge. All materials are publicly accessible via the IRIS Repository at https://www.iris-database.org. Learn more about the Open Practices badges from the Center for Open Science: https://osf.io/tvyxz/wiki.

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 59%

Section: Background Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

First Language Attrition as a Function of Age at Onset of Bilingualism: First Language Attainment of Turkish–English Bilinguals in the United Kingdom

Karayayla

2018

Language Learning

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“…The adaptation of VOT values towards the L2 setting increases with length of L2 experience and proficiency levels (Flege, 1987), is more pronounced in casual than in formal speaking styles (Major, 1992) and is reduced after periods of re-immersion in the L1 (Sancier & Fowler, 1997), suggesting a fluctuating and dynamic interaction of factors such as proficiency, context, and (recent) exposure. Bidirectional crosslinguistic adaptation has also been found with respect to the distribution of the vowel space (Bergmann, Nota, Sprenger & Schmid, 2016;Mayr, Price & Mennen, 2012), the realization of liquids (de Leeuw, Mennen & Scobbie, 2012), rhoticity (Himmel & Kabak, 2016;Ulbrich & Ordin, 2014) and suprasegmentals (Mennen, 2004). This suggests that L1 and L2 sounds are linked at the 10 system-wide level (Chang, 2012;Mayr, Price & Mennen, 2012), a notion further supported by the fact that the perception of phonological categories in the L1 may become weakened by competing, non-overlapping L2 categories (Tamminen, Peltola, Toivonen, Kujala & Näätänen, 2013).…”

Section: Online Effects Of Linguistic Co-activation In the L1mentioning

confidence: 94%

The relevance of first language attrition to theories of bilingual development

Köpke

2017

LAB

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182

112

Abstract:Research on second language acquisition and bilingual development strongly suggests that when a previously monolingual speaker becomes multilingual, the different languages do not exist in isolation: they are closely linked, dependent on each other, and there is constant interaction between these different knowledge systems. Theoretical frameworks of bilingual development acknowledge this insofar as they usually draw heavily on evidence of how the native language influences subsequent languages, and how and to what degree this influence can eventually be overcome.The fact that such crosslinguistic transfer is not a one-way street, and that the native language is similarly influenced by later learned languages, on the other hand, is often disregarded. We review the evidence on how later learned languages can re-shape the L1 in the immediate and the longer term and demonstrate how such phenomena may be used to inform, challenge and validate theoretical approaches of bilingual development.Author Comments: This is the final version of the Epistemological paper which has previously been submitted by Barbara Kopke. As she is currently away the editors requested that I make a new submission.

“…Accentedness: while monolingual populations are typically perceived to be at ceiling in global foreign accent rating experiments, several studies have established an increase in variance of such ratings in immersed late bilinguals which can lead to some attriters being perceived as unambiguously non-native (e.g., de Leeuw et al, 2010; Hopp and Schmid, 2013; Bergmann et al, 2016; Karayayla, 2018: ch. 4) and subtle shifts occurring in the production of both segmentals and suprasegmentals away from monolingual native norms (e.g., Mennen, 2004; de Leeuw, 2008; Chang, 2012; Bergmann et al, 2016).…”

Section: Problems Of Measurementmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…4) and subtle shifts occurring in the production of both segmentals and suprasegmentals away from monolingual native norms (e.g., Mennen, 2004; de Leeuw, 2008; Chang, 2012; Bergmann et al, 2016). …”

Section: Problems Of Measurementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predictors of Language Dominance: An Integrated Analysis of First Language Attrition and Second Language Acquisition in Late Bilinguals

Yılmaz

2018

Front. Psychol.

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Late bilinguals who spend (part of) their adult lives in an environment where a language other than the one they learned in childhood is spoken typically experience a range of language development phenomena. Most obviously, they will acquire some level of receptive and/or productive knowledge of the new, or second, language (L2). How basic or advanced that level will be is determined by a range of environmental, experiential, attitudinal and individual factors. Secondly, they will most likely find the knowledge of their native language (L1) beginning to diverge from that of monolingual speakers in their country of origin, a process known as language attrition. In the course of this developmental process, some L2 skills may eventually match or even overtake the corresponding skill in the L1. This shift in the balance between L1 and L2 is the focus of investigations of language dominance. The present study explores language dominance in four migrant populations (Germans in the Netherlands and Canada, Turks and Moroccans in the Netherlands). Investigating both the development of formal/controlled skills and more automatic aspects of lexical access and fluency, we aim to attain an understanding of how extralinguistic factors contribute to the development of both languages. We argue that an integrated perspective can contribute more profound insights into the predictors of this complex process of bilingual development. In particular, our findings show that statistical models based on linear relationships fall short of capturing the full picture. We propose an alternative method of analysing data, namely discriminant function analysis, based on a categorisation of the populations, and demonstrate how this can enhance our understanding. Our findings suggest that different aspects of the bilingual experience contribute differently to language development, regardless of language combination and type of skill measured. Contrary to what previous research suggests, measures relating to the intensity of informal use of both the L1 and the L2 in daily life are important in determining whether someone is a good or a poor L1 maintainer, while high vs. low success in acquisition appears to be predominantly associated with personal factors such as educational level.