Accent, Comprehensibility, and Confidence in Second and Third Languages of Adolescents: How Do They Relate to Language Proficiency and Language Interactions?

Autor/inn/en	Thordardottir, Elin; Hávarðarson, Guðlaugur
Titel	Accent, Comprehensibility, and Confidence in Second and Third Languages of Adolescents: How Do They Relate to Language Proficiency and Language Interactions?
Quelle	In: Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 64 (2021) 12, S.4828-4844 (17 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Thordardottir, Elin)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1092-4388
Schlagwörter	Pronunciation; Intelligibility; Indo European Languages; Second Language Learning; Second Language Instruction; Native Speakers; English (Second Language); Incidental Learning; Educational Environment; Language of Instruction; Reading Processes; Evaluators; Multiple Choice Tests; Language Attitudes; Language Variation; Self Esteem; Bilingualism; Vocabulary Skills; Language Proficiency; Multilingualism; Language Usage; Foreign Countries; Iceland + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Aussprache; Indoeuropäisch; Zweitsprachenerwerb; Fremdsprachenunterricht; Muttersprachler; English as second language; English; Second Language; Englisch als Zweitsprache; Inzidentelles Lernen; Lernumgebung; Pädagogische Umwelt; Schulumwelt; Teaching language; Unterrichtssprache; Leseprozess; Multiple choice examinations; Multiple-choice tests, Multiple-choice examinations; Multiple-Choice-Verfahren; Sprachverhalten; Sprachenvielfalt; Self-esteem; Selbstaufmerksamkeit; Bilingualismus; Aktiver Wortschatz; Language skill; Language skills; Sprachkompetenz; Mehrsprachigkeit; Multilingualismus; Sprachgebrauch; Ausland; Island
Abstract	Purpose: This study examines the degree to which adolescents in Iceland are judged by native Icelandic speakers to have a foreign accent both in Icelandic and in English, two languages that are learned under different conditions, as the community and school language, and through school and incidental exposure. Method: Fifty-eight adolescents, 27 with Icelandic as their first language (L1), 21 as their second language (L2), and 10 as one of two L1s read passages in Icelandic and English. Twelve untrained native speakers of Icelandic rated the degree of foreign accent, comprehensibility, and confidence level and selected from multiple-choice options what they thought was the L1 of the speakers. Results: Significant group differences were found in Icelandic but not in English. L2 speakers had a significantly greater foreign accent than the other groups in Icelandic; however, there was substantial overlap with some L2 speakers judged to be native and some L1 speakers judged as nonnative. All groups had a significantly greater accent in English than in Icelandic. Accent was judged more sternly than comprehensibility and confidence and related differently to vocabulary proficiency. Conclusions: Accent is typically not considered in studies of bilingual attainment in children for purposes of clinical assessment or educational placement but should be given closer attention. The study confirms previous findings that many young L2 learners have a detectable foreign accent. The overlap with L1 speakers also raises questions about the ideal of a native accent. More research is needed on how accent relates to bilingual and multilingual proficiency and on its impacts on comfort level, ease of communication, choice of language, and language exposure. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. 2200 Research Blvd #250, Rockville, MD 20850. Tel: 301-296-5700; Fax: 301-296-8580; e-mail: slhr@asha.org; Web site: http://jslhr.pubs.asha.org
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01