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