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One of the fundamental questions in second language (L2) acquisition is the role of input as it
relates to L2 social status. In this talk, I will present a series of studies that systematically
explore the effect of L2 input as exemplified by the speech production development of French
immersion students in Alberta. Specifically, French immersion students’ speech production were
compared across ages/grades, as well as with adult French-English bilingual speakers in the Prairie, and
with Francophone children enrolled in French mother tongue school.
In these studies, acoustic measurements of adult and children’s consonants and vowels will be
reported. The results of my research indicate that while children are able to learn French in a
minority setting, their French production is heavily influenced by English, the dominant language
of the society. Moreover, children experience a “phonetic fossilization”, a cessation of phonetic learning despite increased experience, which speak to their unique learning setting and the social status of the French language.
To learn more about the Modern Languages Speaker Series, visit: uleth.ca/artsci/modern-languages/
speaker-series
Questions?
Dr. Alain Flaubert Takam
403-329-2561
alain.takam@uleth.ca
Contact:
Alain Flaubert Takam | alain.takam@uleth.ca | (403) 329-2560
