Acquiring a Non-Native Phonology

Jette Hansen is Assistant Professor in the Department of English, University of Arizona.

• Introduction; Investigating L2 Phonology; The Participants; Acquiring a Non-Native Phonology; Linguistic Constraints; Social Barriers; A Unified Approach; Conclusions.

"Hansen's monograph concerns the phonological development of two Vietnamese adults acquiring English as a second language (L2). Data collection began 1 year after the couple's immigration to the United States and continued for a period of 1 year...Although this study was limited to two individuals, the extended period of data collection allowed a greater emphasis on the process of acquisition, not solely on the product. It contributes to a scant body of L2 literature that involves longitudinal research (Ortega & iberri-Shea, 2005). The study is also unique in its integration of the linguistic and social perspectives of L2 phonological development in context. Valuable appendixes include the English reading passage and word list used to elicit some of the production data, the detailed initial questionnaire administered in the form of an interview, sample interview questions, and an outline of the participants' log to record the amounts and functions of daily language use. This volume will be of interest to researchers in the fields of L2 phonology and sociolinguistics as well as to current and future teachers of English as a L2. " —Debra M. Hardison, Michigan State University, Studies in Second Language Acquisition, March 2008 (Issue 30:1)