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Cited by 41EFL/ESL Teaching and LearningPhonetics and Phonology ResearchSecond Language Acquisition and Learning

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What’s age got to do with it? Accounting for individual factors in second language accent

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Moyer, Alene·2014·Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching
DOI 10.14746/ssllt.2014.4.3.4
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Abstract

Empirical research conducted over the past few decades suggests that the age at which an individual is first exposed to a second language affects long-term outcomes, in particular for phonology. The question that has occupied scholars of various bents is what, exactly, underlies the robust age effects observed. Does age imply immutable changes in one’s ability to ever sound native-like? Are these changes neurological, cognitive, or socio-psychological in nature? What role do L2 use and contact play? Do age-related influences apply to all individuals, or can language learners actually chart their own course when it comes to accent? This paper will outline basic assumptions of the critical period for phonology while suggesting a different approach to the age question that highlights the individual’s role in both process and outcome. Constructs such as L2 experience, motivation, self-concept, learning approach, and willingness to communicate are discussed in depth in order to show the fundamental connection between cognition and affect so critical for late phonological learning. A re-orientation of the age research is suggested as a result, to prioritize contextual understandings of language use and learner agency.

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Metadata

Authors
Moyer, A.
Affiliations
University of Maryland, College Park (US)
Corresponding author
Moyer, Alene
Venue
Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching
Publisher
Adam Mickiewicz University Poznan
Published
2014
Volume
3
Pages
443-464
ISSN
2083-5205 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.14746/ssllt.2014.4.3.4
OpenAlex
W2014525453
Cited by
41
References
82
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 3 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 3
FWCI
18.83
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching (Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Repozytorium Uniwersytetu im. Adama Mickiewicza (Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Language and Linguistics › EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Phonetics and Phonology Research
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Second Language Acquisition and Learning
Keywords
foreign accent, age of onset, critical period hypothesis, phonological development, individual differences, student motivation, self-concept, willingness to communicate, learner agency, native-like pronunciation

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Moyer, A. (2014). What’s age got to do with it? Accounting for individual factors in second language accent. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching. https://doi.org/10.14746/ssllt.2014.4.3.4