Investigating the effects of L2 acquisition and language usage on L1 speech plasticity: real-time evidence from English learners of French over a year abroad

Recent research has demonstrated that a post-adolescent’s native (L1) sound system can be affected by contact with a foreign language (L2), not only after long periods of L2 exposure (de Leeuw, 2019) but also immediately after the onset of L2 learning (Chang, 2012). However, we currently understand very little about what factors affect speech plasticity, how much of a learner’s sound system is prone to change, and the quantity and quality of input required for this L1 shift to occur.

This thesis addresses these gaps with real-time evidence from 43 English learners of French before and after 6-9 months of living in a French-speaking country. Specifically, I ask whether variability in acoustics of L1 production is directly affected by learners’ ability to accurately perceive and produce L2 sounds, and to what extent actual usage of the L2 and L1 on the year abroad constrains speech plasticity in the native language.

References

Chang, C. (2012). Rapid and multifaceted effects of second-language learning on first language speech production. Journal of Phonetics, 40(2), 249–268.

de Leeuw, E. (2019). Native speech plasticity in the German-English late bilingual Stefanie Graf: A longitudinal study over four decades. Journal of Phonetics 73, 24–39.