The gender factor in the perception of English segments by non-native speakers

Agnieszka Bryła-Cruz

doi:10.14746/ssllt.2021.11.1.5

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to present the findings of an empirical study which contributes to the ongoing research into gender effects on second language acquisition by exploring a biological influence on L2 pronunciation learning. One of the most frequent arguments used to vindicate single-sex education is that there are substantial sensory and perceptual differences between males and females which rationalize gender-specific teaching methods and gender-segregation at schools. The present study provides some preliminary insights into the perception of selected phonetic contrasts by Polish secondary school learners with the aim of investigating gender-based similarities and differences in the accuracy of sound recognition by males and females. The findings suggest that a commonly cited female advantage in acquiring L2 pronunciation cannot be attributed to their superior phonetic perception, as male participants performed equally well and identified the same number of English segments correctly.

Highlights

The gender1 factor in foreign language learning ( FLL) has been explored extensively over the past few decades
The calculations were performed with the exclusion of the pair Robin-robbing because, as mentioned earlier, this minimal pair was different from the rest
The paper reported on an empirical investigation into the perception of English segmentals by 80 Polish secondary school learners

Summary

Introduction

The gender factor in foreign language learning ( FLL) has been explored extensively over the past few decades. 255) concludes that when gender is framed and investigated as a social and not merely biological construct, “it does appear to impact the level of access learners have to L2 use opportunities and the ability to get L2 input and negotiate meaning, which appear to affect L2 development.” Such realizations have triggered a shift from biological essentialism to social constructivism, for example differences in foreign language performance are no longer attributed only to inherent and fixed biological qualities of the two sexes, but they are viewed as shaped by gendered social activities and culture-specific language ideologies (Ehrlich, 1997; Pavlenko & Piller, 2008). One of the most frequent arguments to vindicate single-sex education is that there are substantial sensory and perceptual differences between males and females which rationalize gender-specific teaching methods and gender-segregation at schools (Holthouse, 2010)

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion