Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-j824f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-15T04:41:17.542Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

24 - The Phonetics and Phonology of Adult L2 Learners After Study Abroad

from Part V - The Diversity of Bilingual Speakers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 November 2024

Mark Amengual
Affiliation:
University of California, Santa Cruz
Get access

Summary

Study abroad is typically viewed as a catalyst for pronunciation learning because it affords learners both massive amounts of L2 input and abundant opportunities for meaningful L2 use. Yet, even in such an environment, there is substantial variability in learning trajectories and outcomes. The nature of the target structure is also a powerful determinant of learning; some structures seem to develop effortlessly, whereas others do not improve much at all. Additionally, study abroad research brings to light the important issue of speaker identity, as learners often make decisions about how they want to sound and what pronunciation features they will adopt. This chapter examines developmental time frames, trajectories, and turning points in the phonetics and phonology of L2 learners in a study abroad context. We also describe how learners acquire the regional pronunciation variants of their host communities considering the phonetics of the target feature and learners’ attitudes and beliefs. We argue that study abroad should be situated within a dynamic, longitudinal, and context-dependent view of phonetic and phonological learning.

Type
Chapter
Information
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Alvord, S. M. & Christiansen, D. E. (2012). Factors influencing the acquisition of Spanish voiced stop spirantization during an extended stay abroad. Studies in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics, 5(2), 239276.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Avello, P. (2018). Assessing learners’ changes in foreign accent during study abroad. In Pérez-Vidal, C., López-Serrano, S., Ament, J., & Thomas-Wilhelm, D. J., eds., Learning Context Effects: Study Abroad, Formal Instruction and International Immersion Classrooms. Berlin: Language Science Press, pp. 131154.Google Scholar
Avello, P. & Lara, A. R. (2015). Phonological development in L2 speech production during study abroad programmes differing in length of stay. In Pérez-Vidal, C., ed., Language Acquisition in Study Abroad and Formal Instruction contexts. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, pp. 137165.Google Scholar
Bongiovanni, S., Long, A. Y., Solon, M., & Willis, E. W. (2015). The effect of short-term study abroad on second language Spanish phonetic development. Studies in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics, 8(2), 243283.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Craft, J. (2015). The acquisition of intonation by L2 Spanish speakers while on a six-week study abroad program in Valencia, Spain. [Master’s thesis, Florida State University].Google Scholar
Dewey, D. P. (2017). Measuring social interaction during study abroad: Quantitative methods and challenges. System, 71, 4959.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dewey, D. P., Bown, J., Baker, W., et al. (2014). Language use in six study abroad programs: An exploratory analysis of possible predictors. Language Learning, 64(1), 3671.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Díaz-Campos, M. (2004). Context of learning in the acquisition of Spanish second language phonology. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 26(2), 249273.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Díaz-Campos, M. (2006). The effect of style in second language phonology: An analysis of segmental acquisition in study abroad and regular-classroom students. In Klee, C. A. & Face, T. L., eds., Proceedings of the 7th Conference on the Acquisition of Spanish and Portuguese as First and Second Languages. Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Proceedings Project, pp. 2639.Google Scholar
Eddington, D. (2011). What are the contextual phonetic variants of /β, ð, ɣ/ in colloquial Spanish? Probus, 23(1), 119.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Engstler, C. (2012). Language retention and improvement after a study abroad experience. [Doctoral dissertation, Northwestern University].Google Scholar
Flege, J. E. (1995). Second language speech learning: Theory, findings, problems. In Strange, W., ed., Speech Perception and Linguistic Experience: Issues in Cross-Language Research. Baltimore, MD: York Press, pp. 233277.Google Scholar
Flege, J. E. & Bohn, O.-S. (2021). The revised Speech Learning Model (SLM-r). In Wayland, R., ed., Second Language Speech Learning: Theoretical and Empirical Progress. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 383.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Flege, J. & Liu, S. (2001). The effect of experience on adults’ acquisition of a second language. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 23(4), 527552.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Freed, B., Dewey, D., Segalowitz, N., & Halter, R. (2004). The language contact profile. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 26(2), 349356.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gass, S. (2017). Commentary 1: SLA and study abroad: A focus on methodology. System, 71, 4648.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
George, A. (2014). Study abroad in central Spain: The development of regional phonological features. Foreign Language Annals, 47(1), 97114.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Henriksen, N. C., Geeslin, K. L., & Willis, E. W. (2010). The development of L2 Spanish intonation during a study abroad immersion program in León, Spain: Global contours and final boundary movements. Studies in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics, 3(1), 113162.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Howard, M., Lemée, I., & Regan, V. (2006). The L2 acquisition of a phonological variable: The case of /l/ deletion in French. Journal of French Language Studies, 16(1), 124.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Huensch, A. & Tracy-Ventura, N. (2017). L2 utterance fluency development before, during, and after residence abroad: A multidimensional investigation. Modern Language Journal, 101(2), 275293.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kennedy Terry, K. M. (2017). Contact, context, and collocation: The emergence of sociostylistic variation in L2 French learners during study abroad. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 39(3), 553578.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kim, J., Dewey, D. P., Baker-Smemoe, W., et al. (2015). L2 development during study abroad in China. System, 55, 123133.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Knouse, S. M. (2012). The acquisition of dialectal phonemes in a study abroad context: The case of the Castilian theta. Foreign Language Annals, 45(4), 512542.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Linford, B., Harley, A., & Brown, E. K. (2021). Second language acquisition of /s/-weakening in a study abroad context. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 43, 403427.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lipski, J. (2011). Socio-phonological variation in Latin American Spanish. In Díaz-Campos, M., ed., Handbook of Hispanic Sociolinguistics. Chichester, UK: Wiley Blackwell, pp. 7297.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Long, A. Y., Solon, M., & Bongiovanni, S. (2018). Context of learning and second language development of Spanish vowels. Studies in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics, 11(1), 5987.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lord, G. (2010). The combined effects of immersion and instruction on second language pronunciation. Foreign Language Annals, 43(3), 488503.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Martinsen, R. A. & Alvord, S. M. (2012). On the relationship between L2 pronunciation and culture. Spanish in Context, 9(3), 443465.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Martinsen, R. A., Alvord, S. M., & Tanner, J. (2014). Perceived foreign accent: Extended stays abroad, level of instruction, and motivation. Foreign Language Annals, 47(1), 6678.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McManus, K., Mitchell, R., & Tracy-Ventura, N. (2021). A longitudinal study of advanced learners’ linguistic development before, during, and after study abroad. Applied Linguistics, 42(1), 136163.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mora, J. C. (2015). The role of onset level on L2 perceptual phonological development after formal instruction and study abroad. In Pérez-Vidal, C., ed., Language Acquisition in Study Abroad and Formal Instruction Contexts. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, pp. 167194.Google Scholar
Moyer, A. (2011). An investigation of experience in L2 phonology: Does quality matter more than quantity? Canadian Modern Language Review, 67(2), 191216.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Muñoz, C. & Llanes, À. (2014). Study abroad and changes in degree of foreign accent in children and adults. Modern Language Journal, 98(1), 432449.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nagle, C. L., Morales-Front, A., Moorman, C., & Sanz, C. (2016). Disentangling research on study abroad and pronunciation: Methodological and programmatic considerations. In Velliaris, D. M. & Coleman-George, D., eds., Handbook of Research on Study Abroad Programs and Outbound Mobility. Hershey, PA: IGI Global, pp. 673695.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nicholas, J. A. (2018). Social and learner-specific factors in the acquisition of native-like phonetic contrasts by study abroad students in Paris, France. [Doctoral dissertation, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign].Google Scholar
O’Brien, M. G. (2003). Longitudinal development of second language German vowels. [Doctoral dissertation, University of Wisconsin–Madison].Google Scholar
Piske, T., MacKay, I. R. A., & Flege, J. E. (2001). Factors affecting degree of foreign accent in an L2: A review. Journal of Phonetics, 29, 191215.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Regan, V., Howard, M., & Lemée, I. (2009). The Acquisition of Sociolinguistic Competence in a Study Abroad Context. Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ringer-Hilfinger, K. (2012). Learner acquisition of dialect variation in a study abroad context: The case of the Spanish [θ]. Foreign Language Annals, 45(3), 430446.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rogers, B. M. A. & Alvord, S. M. (2014). The gradience of spirantization: Factors affecting L2 production of intervocalic Spanish [β̞,ð̞,ɣ̞]. Spanish in Context, 11(3), 402424.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Romanelli, S., Menegotto, A. C., & Smyth, R. (2015). Stress perception: Effects of training and a study abroad program for L1 English late learners of Spanish. Journal of Second Language Pronunciation, 1(2), 181210.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Saito, K. & Plonsky, L. (2019). Effects of second language pronunciation teaching revisited: A proposed measurement framework and meta-analysis. Language Learning, 69(3), 652708.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sakai, M. & Moorman, C. (2018). Can perception training improve the production of second language phonemes? A meta-analytic review of 25 years of perception training research. Applied Psycholinguistics, 39(1), 187224.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schmidt, L. B. (2009). The effect of dialect familiarity via a study abroad experience on L2 comprehension of Spanish. In Collentine, J., García, M., Lafford, B., & Marcos Marín, F., eds., Selected Proceedings of the 11th Hispanic Linguistics Symposium. Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Proceedings Project, pp. 143154.Google Scholar
Schmidt, L. B. (2020). Role of developing language attitudes in a study abroad context on adoption of dialectal pronunciations. Foreign Language Annals, 53, 785806.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Seijas, J. M. (2018). L2 Spanish intonation in a short-term study abroad program. In Sanz, C. & Morales-Front, A., eds., The Routledge Handbook of Study Abroad Research and Practice. New York: Routledge, pp. 86100.Google Scholar
Simões, A. R. M. (1996). Phonetics in second language acquisition: An acoustic study of fluency in adult learners of Spanish. Hispania, 79, 8795.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Solon, M. & Long, A. Y. (2018). Acquisition of phonetics and phonology abroad: What we know and how. In Sanz, C. & Morales-Front, A., eds., The Routledge Handbook of Study Abroad Research and Practice. New York: Routledge, pp. 7185.Google Scholar
Stevens, J. J. (2011). Vowel duration in second language Spanish vowels: Study abroad versus at-home learners. Arizona Working Papers in SLA & Teaching, 18, 77104.Google Scholar
Thomson, R. (2018). High variability [pronunciation] training (HVPT): A proven technique about which every language teacher and learner ought to know. Journal of Second Language Pronunciation, 4(2), 208231.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thornberry, P. A. (2014). The L2 acquisition of Buenos Aires Spanish intonation during a study abroad semester. [Doctoral dissertation, University of Minnesota].Google Scholar
Trimble, J. C. (2013). Acquiring variable L2 intonation in a study abroad context. [Doctoral dissertation, University of Minnesota].Google Scholar
Tullock, B. (2018). Identity and study abroad. In Sanz, C. & Morales-Front, A., eds., The Routledge Handbook of Study Abroad Research and Practice. New York: Routledge, pp. 262274.Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×