Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Yu_Bum_suk]

We all know that after about age 16 it's very difficult for someone to change their accent, especially in L2, but could someone point me to some published sources on this? Any studies dealing specifically with age and accent readjustment would be especially useful. I'm trying to do a little bit of research in this area, and my background in early modern English ecclesiastical literature pertaining to gender isn't exactly serving me well. Thanks.

[paquebot]

If you find anything on the subject would you mind sharing?

While the reasoning behind that theory sounds accurate, the one personal experience I have in the matter is a little different. I don't know if it's a matter of my being an exception or not. I'll see what I can find out as well.

....................

The experience in question is that I was told that I picked up a local (rural) French accent at the end of my first day in eastern France. I was 20 years old at the time, and everyone I met in the following two weeks assumed I was French instead of American. This is with four years of high school French lessons.

[bacasper]

Foreign Accent, Comprehensibility, and Intelligibility in the Speech of Second Language Learners

http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/0023-8333.49.s1.8

ACCENT, INTELLIGIBILITY, AND COMPREHENSIBILITY

http://www.journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=36363

Age and Accent in a Second Language

http://applij.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/11/1/73?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=%28accent+AND+reduction+AND+puberty%29&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCIT

[Yu_Bum_suk]

[spliff]

[Yu_Bum_suk]

[aarontendo]

We studied it a bit during some master's courses I took recently. The degree to which a student develops their accent is the strongest supporting reason for the critical period hypothesis. It really seems to show. Two of my co-teachers had spent time in America when they were quite young, 8 - 10 years of age if I recall. Their accents are flawless, and I would assume that they were Korean-American's had they not told me otherwise.

Having said that, there are probably a lot of factors at play, such as practice, motivation, exposure to native accents during the course of their studies here in Korea, etc.

However, according to the CPH 15 years of age might be a bit late to expect strong accent work to be done. Supposedly prior to puberty is the key time.

[bacasper]

[jvalmer]

I went to school with alot of Chinese from Hong Kong. Many of them cam e to Canada around the ages 12-16. It's weird, some have flawless accents while other have heavy Chinese accents. Most (90%) could speak fluently after a few years, but for some reason some of them really retained their Chinese accents. Someone please explain why?

[Yu_Bum_suk]

[Alyallen]

I guess I'll toss in my small bit of experience with.

My parents were born in Jamaica and moved to the U.S. in their early 20s. They both still have their accents.

My older brother was born in Jamaica and switches between a Jamaican and American accent effortlessly. Same thing with my younger brother who was born in the U.S but spend summers in Jamaica.

Me...I have an accent but according to most people, I sound Canadian!

When I was in college, I went to school with a bunch of Swedes. They all had British accents. 4 years later, I'd say it was a 50/50 split between those who had American accents by the time they graduated and those who still kept the British accent.

Accents are a confusing business, aren't they?

[Yu_Bum_suk]

[meangradin]

I was taught in a neurolinguistics class that at around the age of 13, the acquistion and processing of language shifts from the left frontal hemisphere to the right frontal hemisphere. Perhaps this also correlates with accents. On a personal note, I was born in Scotland, to parents with rather thick Glaswiegen accents, and I was raised in both New Zealand and Canada. I think I have a Canadian accent, but i am constantly told I have an accent that is hard to place.

[Alyallen]

[Yu_Bum_suk]