Abstract
Departing from a Complex perspective to language, this study explores the correlation between length of residence (LOR) in London and the production of word-initial English voiceless stops by late south Brazilian bilinguals who have an integrative motivation towards the host language and culture. To this end, 12 immigrants are compared to 10 standard southern British English monolinguals. Acoustic analysis of VOT duration is reported. The results demonstrated that the immigrants’ VOT values for English increased along with LOR. The bilinguals with the longest LOR revealed a production of English VOT within the range expected for the controls. These findings can be interpreted as evidence for language as a Complex Adaptive System, and for the hypothesis that the neuroplasticity and the cognitive mechanisms for language development remain intact during the lifespan.
Highlights
Second language (L2) research has already recognized that there is an inverse correlation between age of L2 development and level of ultimate achievement, as the older speakers are at the onset of bilingualism, the less inclined they are to gain native-like proiciency (Schmid, Gilbers, & Nota, 2014). herefore, for the development of the L2 phonemic system earlier is better as far as the onset of bilingualism is concerned (e.g., Flege, Schirru, & MacKay, 2003; McCarthy, Evans, & Mahon, 2013)
There is a robust body of research suggesting that it is possible for late bilinguals to attain native levels in their L2 speech production and perception, as in the studies conducted by Bongaerts, Summeren, Planken, and Schils, (1997), Sancier and Fowler (1997), and Muñoz and Singleton (2007) in which late bilinguals yield L2 production within the same range of the L1-controls. hose studies, for instance, validate Flege (1995, 2007) and Best and Tyler (2007) who propose that the cognitive mechanisms for language development remain intact during the lifespan, and that even late bilinguals would be able to reach L2 native-like levels
A recent angle to comprehend L2 speech development may be noticed in complex approaches, in which language is seen as a Complex Adaptive System (CAS), and language development as being the result of “interrelated patterns of experience, social interaction, and cognitive processes” (Beckner et al, 2009, p. 2). hese approaches accommodate the fact that late bilinguals are able to attain native-like
Summary
Second language (L2) research has already recognized that there is an inverse correlation between age of L2 development and level of ultimate achievement, as the older speakers are at the onset of bilingualism, the less inclined they are to gain native-like proiciency (Schmid, Gilbers, & Nota, 2014). herefore, for the development of the L2 phonemic system earlier is better as far as the onset of bilingualism is concerned (e.g., Flege, Schirru, & MacKay, 2003; McCarthy, Evans, & Mahon, 2013). On the other hand, Ellinger (2000) reveals a negative correlation between L2 proiciency and L1 language and culture adherence, as the L1 use and the preservation of robust connections with the irst language and culture are recognized to hinder L2 cultural and linguistic integration (Chiswick & Miller, 2001; Yilmaz & Schmid, 2015) and, as a consequence, L2 development In this perspective, using a cross-sectional design for the collection of the corpus, this study addresses the production of English-L2 VOT by integrated Brazilian immigrants (late arrivals; age of arrival > 20 years) in a complex perspective. It aims at exploring the correlation between LOR in London and the production of word-initial English voiceless stops by late Brazilian bilinguals who have an integrative motivation towards the host language and culture, and who have had less than eleven years of LOR at the testing. We inalize this work with our discussion and conclusions, addressing and advocating language as a CAS
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