AGE AND ULTIMATE ATTAINMENT IN THE PRONUNCIATION OF A FOREIGNLANGUAGE

Abstract

This paper reports on two studies that addressed the issue of ultimate attainment by latesecond language learners. The aim of the studies, which included a carefully screened group ofhighly successful Dutch learners of English in their designs, was to determine whether or not latesecond language learners who had achieved a nativelike performance in the pronunciation of asecond language could be identified. Speech samples provided by two groups of learners, one ofwhich consisted of highly successful learners only, and a native speaker control group were ratedfor accent by native speakers of English. The ratings obtained by some learners were within therange of the ratings assigned to the native speaker controls. Such results suggest that it is notimpossible to achieve an authentic, nativelike pronunciation of a second language after aspecified biological period of time. Examination of the learning histories of the highly successfullearners lead the authors to argue that certain learner characteristics and learning contexts maywork together to override the disadvantages of a late start.