Foreign Accent: The Phenomenon of Non-native Speech

231 Pages·2013·1.424 MB·English

by  Alene Moyer

Foreign Accent
Towhatextentdoouraccentsdeterminethewayweareperceivedbyothers?
Isforeignaccentinevitablyassociatedwithsocialstigma?Accentisamatterof
great public interest given the impact of migration on national and global
affairs,but,untilnow,appliedlinguisticsresearchhastreatedaccentlargely
as a theoretical puzzle. In this fascinating account, Alene Moyer examines
the social, psychological, educational, and legal ramifications of sounding
‘foreign.’Sheexploreshowaccentoperatescontextuallythroughanalysisof
issues such as: the neuro-cognitive constraints on phonological acquisition,
individualfactorsthatcontributetothe‘intractability’ofaccent,foreignaccent
asacriterionforworkplacediscrimination,andtheefficacyofinstructionfor
improvingpronunciation.Thisholistictreatmentofsecondlanguageaccentis
anessentialresourceforgraduatestudentsandresearchersinterestedinapplied
linguistics,bilingualism,andforeignlanguageeducation.
alenemoyerisAssociateProfessorintheSchoolofLanguages,Literatures
andCultures,andAssociateDeanintheCollegeofArtsandHumanities,atthe
UniversityofMaryland.

Foreign Accent
The Phenomenon of Non-native Speech
Alene Moyer
cambridge university press
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©AleneMoyer2013
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Firstpublished2013
PrintedandboundintheUnitedKingdombytheMPGBooksGroup
AcataloguerecordforthispublicationisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary
LibraryofCongressCataloguinginPublicationdata
Moyer,Alene,1961–author.
Foreignaccent:thephenomenonofnon-nativespeech/AleneMoyer.
pages cm
ISBN978-1-107-00581-5(hardback)
1. Englishlanguage–Pronunciationbyforeignspeakers. 2. Secondlanguage
acquisition–Socialaspects. 3. Languagesincontact. I. Title.
PE1137.M83 2013
305.7–dc23
2012036028
ISBN978-1-107-00581-5Hardback
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In memory of Frank E. Donahue

Contents
Listoftables pagex
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction 1
1 Thescopeandrelevanceofaccent 9
1.1 Adefinitionofaccent 10
1.2 ChallengesfortheL2user 12
1.2.1 Phonologicalstyleandfluency 13
1.2.2 Attitudestowardnon-nativeaccents 14
1.2.3 L1–L2phonologicalcontrasts 15
1.3 UltimateattainmentinL2phonology 18
1.4 Conclusion:thesalienceofaccentinasecondlanguage 19
2 Accentandage 21
2.1 AgeeffectsresearchinL2phonology 21
2.2 Acriticallookatthecriticalperiodforphonology 25
2.3 Neuralorganizationandthequestionofplasticity 27
2.4 L2phonologicalknowledgeandcognitiveprocesses 30
2.4.1 Categoricalperception 31
2.4.2 Transfer 37
2.4.3 Universalprocessesandmarkedness 39
2.5 Possibleadvantagesofearlybilingualism 42
2.5.1 Metalinguisticandphonologicalawareness 42
2.5.2 Underlyingphonologicalrepresentations 43
2.5.3 Uniquenessofbilinguallanguageprocessing 44
2.5.4 EarlypassiveexposuretoL2 45
2.6 Conclusion:reframingtheagedebateforL2accent 46
3 Accentandtheindividual 49
3.1 Intrinsicindividualdifferences 51
3.1.1 Aptitude 52
3.1.2 Memory 53
3.1.3 Hemisphericpreference,musical‘talent,’andexperience 54
3.1.4 Learningstylesandstrategies 56
3.1.5 Genderdifferences 58
vii
viii Contents
3.2 Socio-psychologicalfactors 62
3.2.1 Identity,acculturation,andthe‘linguisticago’ 62
3.2.2 Motivation 67
3.2.3 Attitudesandlearnerinvestment 70
3.3 Experienceandinput 72
3.3.1 Lengthofresidence 73
3.3.2 L2use 75
3.3.3 Languagedominance 76
3.3.4 L1attrition 78
3.4 Exceptionallanguagelearners 80
3.5 Conclusion:gapsintheoryandmethod 82
4 Accentandsociety 85
4.1 HistoricalperspectivesonastandardaccentinEnglish 87
4.2 Communicativeeffectsofanon-nativeaccent 92
4.2.1 Comprehensibility,intelligibility,andaccentedness 93
4.2.2 Phonologicalaccommodation 99
4.3 Reactionstonon-nativespeech 102
4.3.1 Prestige,prejudice,andfamiliarity 102
4.3.2 Linguisticandcontextualfactors 105
4.3.3 Demographicfactors 106
4.3.4 Communicativeconsequences 107
4.3.5 Criticalsummary 108
4.4 Strongholdsofaccentstereotypes 109
4.4.1 Mediaportrayalsofnon-nativespeakers 111
4.4.2 Callcenters 113
4.4.3 Theinternationalteachingassistantcontroversy 116
4.5 Conclusion:accentandassimilation 121
5 Accentandthelaw 125
5.1 Linguisticprofiling 126
5.2 Accent,employability,andearnings 128
5.3 Challengestoaccentintheworkplace 131
5.4 Accentbiasinthecourtroom 140
5.5 Conclusion:futureempiricalandlegalchallenges 143
6 Accentandinstruction 146
6.1 Phonology’splaceintheFLclassroom 147
6.2 Classroomapproachestophonologicalinstruction:pastandpresent 148
6.3 ThebasisforinstructionalefficacyinL2phonology 152
6.3.1 Explicitpractice,attention,andawareness 152
6.3.2 Self-monitoring 154
6.3.3 Theroleoffeedback 156
6.4 Computer-assistedpronunciationtraining 158
6.5 Effectsoforthographicinput 161
6.6 Accentwithincurrentstandardsmodels 163
6.7 Conclusions:thepotentialofphonologicalinstruction 167
Contents ix
7 Conclusions 171
7.1 Accentinasecondlanguage:viewpointsandexpectations 171
7.2 Remainingquestionsandmethodologicalrecommendations 172
7.3 TheuniquechallengeofL2accent 177
Glossary 179
References 184
Index 217