accent fossilization in older iranian women in canada
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Accent Fossilization in Older Iranian Women in
Canada
Yalda Ahmadvand
Aging is an unavoidable fact of human nature
Decline in physical abilities The effect of age on learning new skills Decline of abilities in second language
learning, based on different presupposition Younger language learners and success Relationship between age of acquisition &
eventual achievement (Brown, 2007)
Introduction
Lenneberg’s Hypothesis (1967) Human’s cognitive structure He cited the CPH (Penfield & Roberts,1959) Difficulty of acquiring our first language
after puberty, based on neuropsychological factors.
Age & success in second language learning Younger learners vs. Older learners Relationship between age & success in
second language, linked to CPH
Introduction
Biologically determined period of life A period of time between birth & the age of
puberty Pronunciation vs. writing skills It’s also known as Sensitive period
hypothesis Second language learners & level of
competence in TL Fossilized pronunciation
Critical Period Hypothesis
Introduced by Selinker (1972) Most adult second language learners never
achieve native-like proficiency in the TL Their pronunciation continues to interfere
with their ability to communicate effectively Despite years of language learning and
experience with English They may seem less fluent or less
professional Crucial issue: Fossilized accent might linger
Fossilization
Age Native language Length of time using English Social pressure Innate ability Feedback on pronunciation Attain the original identity
Factors involve in developing clear pronunciation
Used as a simple & direct measure of exposure to opportunities to learn the language
Immigrants who live in the country for longer period of time:
Higher level of overall proficiency in English Or in some aspects of English Higher frequency of using English than people
who have been in the country for shorter period of time
Age at immigration associated with English proficiency in adulthood
Length of residence and exposure
The age of arrival to Canada
Amount and type of exposure to Community
Importance of keeping their Iranian identity
Describe Iranian immigrants families
Analysis of Iranian immigrants’ level of proficiency and accent
A multi-ethnic land (Kurd,Fars,Gilac,Turk, and Armanian)
Reasons for immigration
The USA, Canada, Australia, & Western Europe
Iranian Immigrant Families
Iranian minority, fastest growing immigrants categories
Sociolinguistics consequence
Prevent them from mixing with Canadian society, & communicating with Canadians
Community of Iranian Immigrant Women
Use of mother tongue, prevent from noticing their accent
Iranian Immigrant Families
Existence of several hundreds mussels for articulation of human speech
(Throat, Larynx, Mouth, Lips, Tongue, ..)
Remarkable degree of muscular control
Evidence: After the age of puberty
The Significance of Accent
The role of age and identity in learning a second language
And improving accent or pronunciation
Investigate why some older Iranian women in Canada cannot lose their accents
What exposure they have
This study evaluates:
Thirty female native Iranian Women Arrived between 30-40 years old At the time of testing ranges from 40-60 Length of residence is at least 8 years Why Farsi, and Iranian? Education First exposure to English Four MA, Ten college in Canada
Participants
Tested individually, single1 hour session
Diary about the strategies they used to improve their English learning
Noted about their experiences, insights, disappointments, and frustrations
Procedures
Start : Language background questionnaire Evaluate use of Farsi & English Motivation to use English How long they have lived in Canada? How old they were? Their social role (Work, study, Home) Accent awareness, did something to
improve? Produced sentences to be rated for foreign
accent, (recorded)
Procedures
Five native English speakers Tested for normal hearing All experts in SLA Trained before starting the procedure
Raters
Repeated 19 English sentences (twice) Six sets of tongue twisters Examine the /θ/, /ð/, /s/, /v/, and /w/ Rating ranges between “very strong
`accent”(1), to “no accent” (9) Voices were recorded Mean based on: 150 judgments (6
sentences, 5 listeners,5 duplicate judgments)
*interrater reliability was 84.2% (agreement =16/19 items)
Testing
The questionnaire (adapted from ethno linguistic questionnaire by Wharry,1993)
Contains 24 items
Translated to Farsi
Instrumentations
Effect of age of arrival & length of residency in Canada in having a foreign accent:
Later the Iranian women had arrived in Canada, fewer years they have lived here
They have stronger foreign accent This rating didn’t increase sharply Those participants with an accent close to
native accent came to Canada at younger age, or exposed to the language at younger age.
Results
25 30 35 40 45 50 551
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10Figure 1
Age of Arrival in Canada
Mea
n fo
reig
n ac
cent
rat
ing
Correlation between Age of Arrival and foreign accent rating
The findings presented in figure 1 & 2 suggest:
The female Iranians’ degree of foreign accent did not increase sharply if they lived in Canada for shorter period of time
Or they arrived in Canada at older ages There is not strong correlation between the
first exposure to the language and degree of foreign accent
Results
7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 251
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10Figure 2
Years as a resident in Canada
Fore
ign
acce
nt r
atin
gCorrelation between Length of Residence and foreign accent rating
The findings show: The more exposure they have to English
speaking community (work, study), less noticeable accents they have.
One exception Speakers with more native-like accent find it
less difficult to communicate in English compare to those with stronger accent
The correlation between difficulty communicating is negatively related to foreign accent rating
Results
0 1 2 3 4 51
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Figure 3
Difficulty communicating
Fore
ign
acce
nt r
atin
g
Difficulty communicating and foreign accent rating
Some problematic sounds for Iranians who want to learn English:
/θ/, /ð/, /s/, /v/, and /w/ Do not exist in Farsi Remarkable degree of muscular control is
required to achieve native like proficiency It’s hard to achieve native like proficiency: If these muscles are not adapted to
articulate specific sounds until certain age, (age of puberty)
Results
According to the questionnaire & diaries: Twenty four of the participants were aware
of their accents Nineteen thought it’s important to improve
their accents: Gain confidence Eliminate career barriers Improve their professional image
Results
Some didn’t want to lose their accents: Unwillingness to assume another identity Lack of confidence Rejection of native like speech “Might deceive people about their
background and identity” “Not telling the truth about herself” “People perceive different things in terms of
cultural & behavioral expectations”
Results
Some thought they need to improve their accents because:
To be accepted in the target language society
Find better jobs Accent prevents them from taken seriously Face biases, and challenges Suffer lost opportunities in a society Native speakers fail to concentrate on the
message
Results
Whether CPH exist, age should be considered as an important factor
Two outcomes of this study: First, the participants’ strength of foreign
accent in English grew stronger as their age of arrivals in Canada increased
Second, if they have more exposure to the language (work, study), they have less noticeable accents compare to those who stayed at home
Discussion
There are several factors that influence Second language learning:
Age as a key factor in language acquisition Motivation Attitude and personality Dominance of the first language
Discussion
Regarding the critical age for acquisition, acquiring native like pronunciation is achievable until the age of puberty
As Selinger suggests there might be multiple critical/sensitive period for different aspects of language
The period in which acquiring native accent is easier, seems to end sooner than the period leading to the acquisition of grammar
Age as a key factor in language acquisition
There is a correlation between age and the ability to learn a new language
Adults who want to learn a new language, but don’t have enough knowledge about their second language, seem to fall back easier to their first language
Then no progress in the second language
Age as a key factor in language acquisition
The way the participants learned English in school prior to their arrival to Canada is not the efficient way to learn a new language
Krashen mentions the importance of participation in “meaningful interactions in the target language” to be able to acquire a new language.
Age as a key factor in language acquisition
Ones who work or study in Canada have less noticeable accent compare to those who stayed at home as a housewife
Learning a language to able to function at work/school is most likely an instrumental motivation
It also can be at least partly an integrative motivator
All participants have their personal interest to become integrated in to the new culture and the new way of living.
How motivation affects progress in language learning
All participants reported that they try to improve their ability to communicate in the new language
Being a housewife might involve fewer opportunities to participate in a meaningful interactions in target language.
Can not conclude being a housewife leads to be less motivated in learning a new language.
How motivation affects progress in language learning
Flexibility of personality Self esteem, and capability to handle
culture change *All the participants in this study put an
effort to assimilate into a new culture, and learn a new language
They didn’t find it difficult to adjust to a new culture
Assume they all have positive attitude towards integrating in to the new culture
Attitude and Personality
Some sound are difficult to learn depending on the learner’s nationality
Similarity of L1 sounds to L2 sounds make it more difficult to learn a new sound
At older ages L1 can be more dominating language compared to L2
Phonetic ability seems to fossilized earlier than the other linguistics skills*
Dominance of the first language
According to the questionnaire: All participants in this study preserved their
first language by using it frequently:
When meeting friends and relatives Reading Persian books and magazines Visiting their home country
Dominance of the first language
Pronunciation doesn’t receive enough academic attention as other aspects of SLA
It’s a great concern to many second language learners in Canada
Derwing(2003) found out 95% of immigrants would choose to speak like native speakers(if they could)
Foreign accent discrimination Fossilization, natural & normal stage for many learners Michael Long(2003) suggests stabilization instead of
fossilization It leaves open the possibility of change and
improvements
How to improve fossilized accent
Second language learners seem inflexible to necessary changes
Being successful entails: Preparing learners to change Encouraging them to make an actual effort
to do so Carefully analyzing their situation &
resources
How to improve fossilized accent
The crucial element in employing a general strategy for dealing with fossilized accent is getting them prepared to make the considerable changes
Inform them how pronunciation, or more specifically intelligibility can be improved by techniques aimed at changing those other behaviors
How to improve fossilized accent
Consider that speakers should have acceptable pronunciation
People should understand what they say Speakers’ English is pleasant to listen to
(comfortably intelligible) Teachers should be well-trained Provide precise feedback on segmentals
and suprasegmentals problem Suprasegmentals aspects of pronunciation
are important to intelligibility
Recommendations for teachers
Ensure to correct prosodic errors beside individual words
Focus on errors which have more effect on intelligibility (ex: sentence stress)
Hahn(2004) declares, sentence stress has significant effect on comprehensibility and intelligibility
Recommendations for teachers
Highlighting elements: sounds, syllables, stress, and intonation Encourage them to use intelligible
pronunciation outside the classroom Creating a stronger link between pronunciation
and communication Bringing pronunciation to a level of intelligibility Learner’s awareness of his/her potential for
making their language not only easier to understand, but more effective
Recommendations for teachers
This study investigated the correlation between age & accent fossilization
The other factors that can cause accent fossilization
How to improve fossilized accent By analyzing the participants background
information I realized: Although age is a very important factor in
SLA, there are other factors that can influence it
Conclusion
Younger learners are probably more open to learn languages
But adults commitment to work and study in the new country is a strong motivator:
To engage in activities that promote the progress of the language acquisition
Finally, it is concluded that mastering a correct English accent & pronunciation in a second language is a skill that takes an unknown amount of time to obtain.
Conclusion
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