A case study of transfer in second language phonology
Document Type
Oral Presentation
Department
Linguistics
Abstract
In the study of second language (L2) acquisition, learners frequently use the features of their first languages (L1s) in their L2s, a process called transfer. Transfer of L1 phonology commonly results in accents in the L2. This study explores the role of transfer for one particular participant in a case study. The participant (pseudonym, Dan) is a 21-year old French-speaking L2 learner of English. Dan grew up in Quebec City, QC, CA and his first language is French. He studied English in school and has lived in the U.S. since 2020, where he is now attending USM. He has given his permission to be a participant in this study. I meet with Dan once a week for one hour. During each session I assess Dan’s pronunciation of English sounds and words and work with him on making his pronunciation more native-like (which is his personal goal as well). I record Dan’s speech under various conditions, including spontaneous conversation, imitation, and reading. I will analyze the recordings both qualitatively and quantitatively (using an acoustic analysis in Praat). I am also investigating the role of awareness by interviewing him about his experience. Thus far, my findings suggest that Dan’s pronunciation of English is largely the result of transfer from French, with some additional influence from English orthography. I have also found that Dan’s awareness of differences in his L2 pronunciation primes him to notice specific non-native aspects of his speech, leading to self-correction.
A case study of transfer in second language phonology
In the study of second language (L2) acquisition, learners frequently use the features of their first languages (L1s) in their L2s, a process called transfer. Transfer of L1 phonology commonly results in accents in the L2. This study explores the role of transfer for one particular participant in a case study. The participant (pseudonym, Dan) is a 21-year old French-speaking L2 learner of English. Dan grew up in Quebec City, QC, CA and his first language is French. He studied English in school and has lived in the U.S. since 2020, where he is now attending USM. He has given his permission to be a participant in this study. I meet with Dan once a week for one hour. During each session I assess Dan’s pronunciation of English sounds and words and work with him on making his pronunciation more native-like (which is his personal goal as well). I record Dan’s speech under various conditions, including spontaneous conversation, imitation, and reading. I will analyze the recordings both qualitatively and quantitatively (using an acoustic analysis in Praat). I am also investigating the role of awareness by interviewing him about his experience. Thus far, my findings suggest that Dan’s pronunciation of English is largely the result of transfer from French, with some additional influence from English orthography. I have also found that Dan’s awareness of differences in his L2 pronunciation primes him to notice specific non-native aspects of his speech, leading to self-correction.
