Assessing the contribution of second language experience and age of learning in Catalan/Spanish bilinguals’ perrception and production of English sounds.

Abstract

Previous research in immersion settings has shown that an early age of onset of second language (L2) learning, together with long‐term exposure to the L2, are determinant factors for perceiving and producing L2 sounds accurately [e.g., Flege, MacKay, & Meador (1999)]. However, research in formal learning contexts has resulted in negative evidence for an early age of learning advantage [e.g., Garcia‐Lecumberri & Gallardo (2003)] or in divergent experience effects (Cebrian, 2003, 2006). This study aimed to further examine the contribution of the factors of age of onset of L2 learning (AOL) and experience in a foreign language learning environment. Catalan/Spanish bilinguals studying English at university, with AOLs of 4 to 14 years and a minimum of 7 years of formal instruction, performed an AXB discrimination task, a picture narrative, and a delayed sentence repetition task. Results revealed that Catalan/Spanish bilinguals with somewhat longer exposure to English and an earlier AOL tended to discern English sounds at higher correct rates. By contrast, a great degree of variability was found across the bilinguals' extemporaneous and prompted production of English segments. Findings are discussed in terms of current models of L2 speech acquisition and their application to formal learning settings. [Work supported by postdoctoral fellowship from the Ministerio de Educacion y Ciencia and the FECYT (Spain).]