Impact of Onset Age and Native-Speaker Input on L2 Phonological Acquisition in Korean EFL Learners
1
조회
0
다운로드
0
인용
0
참고문헌
키워드
초록
This study explores the influence of native-speaker input on second language (L2) pronunciation in a foreign language learning context. While age is often considered a critical factor in naturalistic settings, its impact may be less pronounced in formal learning environments, where the quality and consistency of input are more crucial. This research focuses on 92 Korean high school students, including 13 with study-abroad experience, who were divided into four groups based on input exposure: intensive, extracurricular, school classes, and a combination. Speech samples were assessed for comprehensibility and accentedness, and multiple regression analyses were conducted to evaluate the effects of onset age, input type, and input amount on oral proficiency. The findings show that neither onset age nor input quantity significantly influenced pronunciation, even when students were exposed to native-speaker teachers. However, students who received a combination of intensive input and extracurricular classes demonstrated marked improvement in their oral skills. This suggests that early exposure to native-speaker input alone may not guarantee success in mastering L2 pronunciation. Instead, consistent, varied, and immersive input, especially through study-abroad opportunities and extracurricular activities, plays a more significant role in developing oral proficiency and reducing foreign accents.
Abstract
This study explores the influence of native-speaker input on second language (L2) pronunciation in a foreign language learning context. While age is often considered a critical factor in naturalistic settings, its impact may be less pronounced in formal learning environments, where the quality and consistency of input are more crucial. This research focuses on 92 Korean high school students, including 13 with study-abroad experience, who were divided into four groups based on input exposure: intensive, extracurricular, school classes, and a combination. Speech samples were assessed for comprehensibility and accentedness, and multiple regression analyses were conducted to evaluate the effects of onset age, input type, and input amount on oral proficiency. The findings show that neither onset age nor input quantity significantly influenced pronunciation, even when students were exposed to native-speaker teachers. However, students who received a combination of intensive input and extracurricular classes demonstrated marked improvement in their oral skills. This suggests that early exposure to native-speaker input alone may not guarantee success in mastering L2 pronunciation. Instead, consistent, varied, and immersive input, especially through study-abroad opportunities and extracurricular activities, plays a more significant role in developing oral proficiency and reducing foreign accents.
참고문헌 (42)
- Bai, B., "EFL teachers’ beliefs and practices about pronunciation teaching", ELT Journal, 73(2), pp.134~143 (2019)[DOI]
- Cicchetti, D. V., "Guidelines, criteria, and rules of thumb for evaluating normed and standardized assessment instruments in psychology", Psychological Assessment, 6(4), pp.284~290 (1994)[DOI]
- Ellis, N. C., "The handbook of language teaching", pp.139~158 (2009), Wiley
- Field, A., "Discovering statistics using R" (2012), Sage
- Flege, J. E., "Input matters in SLA", pp.175~190 (2009), Multilingual Matters
- Flege, J. E., "Degree of foreign accent in English sentences produced by Korean children and adults", Journal of Phonetics, 34(2), pp.153~175 (2006)[DOI]
- Flege, J. E., "The effect of experience on adults’ acquisition of a second language", Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 23(4), pp.527~552 (2001)[DOI]
- Garcia Lecumberri, M. L., "Age and the acquisition of English as a foreign language", pp.115~135 (2003), Multilingual Matters
- Isaacs, T., "Rater experience, rating scale length, and judgments of L2 pronunciation : Revisiting research conventions", Language Assessment Quarterly, 10(2), pp.135~159 (2013)[DOI]
- Jenkins, J., "The phonology of English as an international language: New models, new norms, new goals" (2000), Oxford University Press
- "88% of native English teachers working at elementary, middle, high schools nationwide are non-majors of English education" (2022)[URL]
- Lenneberg, E. H., "The biological foundations of language", Hospital Practice, 2(12), pp.59~67 (1967)[DOI]
- Levis, J. M., "Changing contexts and shifting paradigms in pronunciation teaching", TESOL Quarterly, 39(3), pp.369~ (2005)[DOI]
- Levis, J., "Native and non-native teachers in English language classrooms: Professional challenges and teacher education", pp.205~238 (2017), De Gruyter Mouton
- Li, Y., "Native or non-native-speaking teaching for L2pronunciation teaching?—An investigation on their teaching effect and students’ preferences", English Language Teaching, 9(12), pp.89~97 (2016)[DOI]
- Llanes, À., "The effectiveness of classroom instruction ‘at home’ vs study abroad for learners of English as a foreign language attending primary, secondary school and university", The Language Learning Journal, 45(4), pp.434~446 (2017)[DOI]
- Long, M., "Problems with supposed counter-evidence to the Critical Period Hypothesis", International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching, 43(4), pp.287~317 (2005)[DOI]
- Ma, L. P., "Advantages and disadvantages of native and nonnative-English-speaking teachers : Student perceptions in Hong Kong", TESOL Quarterly, 46(2), pp.280~305 (2012)[DOI]
- MacKay, I. R., "Starting age and exposure effects on EFL learners’ sound production in a formal learning context", Proceedings of the fifth international symposium on the acquisition of second language speech (2007), Federal University of Santa Catarina
- Mora, J. C., "Oral fluency, accuracy, and complexity in formal instruction and study abroad learning contexts", TESOL Quarterly, 46(4), pp.610~641 (2012)[DOI]
- Moyer, A., "What’s age got to do with it? Accounting for individual factors in second language accent", Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 4(3), pp.443~464 (2014)[DOI]
- Muñoz, C., "Age and the acquisition of English as a foreign language", pp.161~181 (2003), Multilingual Matters
- Muñoz, C., "Age and the rate of foreign language learning", pp.1~40 (2006), Multilingual Matters
- Muñoz, C., "Symmetries and asymmetries of age effects in naturalistic and instructed L2 learning", Applied Linguistics, 29(4), pp.578~596 (2008)[DOI]
- Muñoz, C., "On how age affects foreign language learning", Advances in Research on Language Acquisition and Teaching, pp.39~49 (2010)
- Muñoz, C., "Input and long-term effects of starting age in foreign language learning", International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching, 49(2), pp.113~133 (2011)[DOI]
- Muñoz, C., "Contrasting effects of starting age and input on the oral performance of foreign language learners", Applied Linguistics, 35(4), pp.463~482 (2014)[DOI]
- Muñoz, C., "Study abroad and changes in degree of foreign accent in children and adults", Modern Language Journal, 98(1), pp.432~449 (2014)[DOI]
- Munro, M. J., "Foreign accent, comprehensibility, and intelligibility in the speech of second language learners", Language Learning, 45(1), pp.73~97 (1995)[DOI]
- Murphy, J. M., "Intelligible, comprehensible, non-native models in ESL", EFL pronunciation teaching, 2014, pp.42, 258~269
- "National curriculum: Elementary, Middle, High School" (2022)[URL]
- Phillipson, R., "Linguistic imperialism" (1992), Oxford University Press
- Piske, T., "Factors affecting degree of foreign accent in an L2 : A review", Journal of Phonetics, 29(2), pp.191~215 (2001)[DOI]
- Saito, K., "Aptitude, experience, and second language pronunciation proficiency development in classroom settings", Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 41(1), pp.201~225 (2019)[DOI]
- Scovel, T., "A time to speak: A psycholinguistic inquiry into the critical period for human speech" (1988), Newberry House
- Selinker, L., "Interlanguage", International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching, 10(1-4), pp.209~232 (1972)[DOI]
- Selvi, A. F., "Myths and misconceptions about nonnative English speakers in the TESOL(NNEST)movement", TESOL Journal, 5(3), pp.573~611 (2014)[DOI]
- Shrout, P. E., "Intraclass correlations : Uses in assessing rater reliability", Psychological Bulletin, 86(2), pp.420~428 (1979)[DOI]
- Tsang, A., "Why English accents and pronunciation still matter for teachers nowadays : A mixed-methods study on learners’ perceptions", Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 41(2), pp.140~156 (2019)[DOI]
- Uchida, Y., "Non-native English teachers’ confidence in their own pronunciation and attitudes towards teaching : A questionnaire survey in Japan", International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 30(1), pp.19~34 (2020)[DOI]
- Walkinshaw, I., "Native and non-native English language teachers : Student perceptions in Vietnam and Japan", Sage Open, 4(2) (2014)[DOI]
- Whitehead, G. E., ""I am not a native speaker…" : Exploring the perceived pronunciation teaching difficulties faced by Korean public elementary school English teachers", System, 115, pp.103056~ (2023)[DOI]