Articulation and phonation in non-native English: The example of Dutch-English

Abstract

Any attempt to define and describe a non-native pronunciation of English is beset with a variety of difficulties. In the first place the researcher is dealing with something acquired, at least in part, by a conscious effort of the speaker. Although, as I have argued elsewhere (Jenner, 1984), English has a special status in the Netherlands, approximating to that of a second language in other countries, it is nonetheless true that the average Dutch learner has no opportunity for actual productive practice of the language until he is already 10 or 12 years old. His ears may be familiar with the sounds of native English, owing to the extensive use of English in Dutch television and cinema, but they are also conditioned by a much greater exposure to Dutch. His perceptual norms are Dutch. In the case of pronunciation this implies that the learner will initially perceive the phonological features of English with reference to the systems of Dutch, and will tend to interpret them as deviant surface exponents of underlying Dutch norms.