Can non-interactive language input benefit young second-language learners?
To fully acquire a language, especially its phonology, children need linguistic input from native speakers early on. When interaction with native speakers is not always possible - e.g. for children learning a second language that is not the societal language - audios are commonly used as an affordable substitute. But does such non-interactive input work? Two experiments evaluated the usefulness of audio storybooks in acquiring a more native-like second-language accent. Young children, first- and second-graders in Hong Kong whose native language was Cantonese Chinese, were given take-home listening assignments in a second language, either English or Putonghua Chinese. Accent ratings of the children's story reading revealed measurable benefits of non-interactive input from native speakers. The benefits were far more robust for Putonghua than English. Implications for second-language accent acquisition are discussed.
University of Hong Kong.
Terry Kit-Fong
TK
Au
The Hong Kong Institute of Education.
Winnie Wailan
WW
Chan
Harvard University.
Liao
L
Cheng
University of British Columbia.
Linda S
LS
Siegel
University of Hong Kong.
Ricky Van Yip
RV
Tso
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006723:Hong Kong; D006801:Humans; D007804:Language Development; D007858:Learning; D008297:Male; D019303:Multilingualism; D013067:Speech Perception