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- Title
The Phonological Basis of Foreign Accent: Hypothesis.
- Authors
Flege, James Emil
- Abstract
The article presents information on the phonological basis of foreign accent. Foreign accent is often thought to be the result of an age-related diminution in the ability to learn to pronounce languages. Existing studies of L2 pronunciation, do not seem to support that there is some fundamental difference between children and adults in phonetic learning ability. It also discusses some of the dimensions that may form the acoustic basis of foreign accent. In addition, it also reviews evidence concerning the claim that children and adults differ fundamentally in terms of phonetic learning ability. Children not only learn to produce sounds intelligibly in their native language, they also learn to produce them according to the language-specific phonetic norms of the surrounding speech community. Perception of a foreign accent derives from differences in pronunciation a language by native and non-native speakers. Age rather than simultaneity of learning forms the crucial factor. However, the important difference in phonological development between the young child who simultaneously learns two languages and the older child or adult who begins learning a second language after the establishment of the first. It has been postulated here that children and adults possess the same general capability for learning to pronounce foreign languages and that one important cause of foreign accent is phonological translation between languages by speakers who already speak a first language.
- Subjects
PHONOLOGY; STRESS (Linguistics); ENGLISH as a foreign language; LANGUAGE &; languages; FOREIGN language education; SECOND language acquisition; LEARNING ability; NATIVE language; PHONETICS
- Publication
TESOL Quarterly, 1981, Vol 15, Issue 4, p443
- ISSN
0039-8322
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.2307/3586485