Abstract
Mandarin speakers’ productions of English sentences, spontaneous speech, and filtered speech were rated for degree of foreign accent by native English and Mandarin listeners. Results showed Mandarin speakers with 12 years' length of residence (LOR) in the U.S. were rated to be accented as those with zero LOR. Untrained native Mandarin listeners with no LOR in the target language environment were comparable to native English listeners in gauging degree of foreign accent based on sentences and spontaneous speech. No stimulus effect was found between sentences and spontaneous speech for accent rating. Filtered natural speech appeared to attenuate degree of foreign accent and Mandarin listeners were not able to assess foreign accent based on long excerpts of filtered speech. The findings suggest that LOR is not an important predictor of degree of foreign accent for adult speakers with late age of arrival (AOA).
Highlights
It is well-known that adult second language (L2) learners often speak the target language with a noticeable foreign accent, which is defined as “non-pathological speech that differs in some noticeable respects from native speaker pronunciation norms” (Munro & Derwing, 1995)
This study examines the effect of length of residence (LOR) on degree of foreign accent on two groups of highly advanced Mandarin learners of English, who teach in the target language and who share many important learner characteristics but differ in LOR
Results of Speaker and Listener Groups The mean accent ratings for the AP, CP, and EP speaker groups’ sentence, utterance, and filtered speech given by the English and Mandarin listener groups are presented in Figure 1 and Figure 2 respectively
Summary
It is well-known that adult second language (L2) learners often speak the target language with a noticeable foreign accent, which is defined as “non-pathological speech that differs in some noticeable respects from native speaker pronunciation norms” (Munro & Derwing, 1995). Researchers have often pointed out that foreign accent, intelligibility (how well the speech is understood), and comprehensibility (how difficult it is to understand the speech) are related but independent factors that are measured differently in L2 speech studies (Munro & Derwing, 1999). Previous research has examined different factors that influence adult L2 speakers’ degree of foreign accent. Other factors have been explored for their role in L2 speakers’ degree of foreign accent These factors include (but are not limited to) the speaker’s first language (L1), age of learning (AOL), length of residence in the L2 environment (LOR), the amount of L1 and L2 use, formal instruction and phonetic training in L2, aptitude, and motivation (Derwing & Munro, 2005; Derwing & Rossiter, 2003; Moyer, 1999; Munro & Derwing, 2001; Piske et al, 2001).
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