The Influence of Regional Differences of Native German Speakers on the L2 English Pronunciation of Selected Phonetic Features

Forfattere

  • Solveig Ilhéa Pees Syddansk Universitet

Nøgleord:

Pronunciation, German accent, Regional variation, Consonants, English as an International Language

Resumé

Pronunciation, as an aspect of non-native accent, is one of the most noticeable aspects of English as a Foreign Language. Age of learning may have an impact on whether nativelike pronunciation can be attained. Furthermore, standard as well as regional dialects may have an influence on pronunciation through cross-linguistic influence. This project aims to gain a better understanding of possible regional variations in native German speakers’ English pronunciation by examining the production of specific consonants. The project is framed by the discussion of English as a Second Language compared to English as an International Language and whether learners’ wishes should be considered. The analyses undertaken in this project are based on 26 individually structured interviews, which included a production task of 14 sentences each containing a specific consonant sound. No significant difference between German regions was discovered, which may largely be due to the low number of participants and a selection bias discovered during the project.

Forfatterbiografi

Solveig Ilhéa Pees, Syddansk Universitet

I am an IVK-student at SDU who recently started my masters’ studies with a specialisation in English. I was born in northern Germany and I grew up in the Danish minority. This allowed me to experience a bilingual upbringing and sparked my interest in language learning.

Referencer

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Publiceret

2022-01-10

Citation/Eksport

Pees, S. I. . (2022). The Influence of Regional Differences of Native German Speakers on the L2 English Pronunciation of Selected Phonetic Features. Journal of Language Works - Sprogvidenskabeligt Studentertidsskrift, 6(2), 27–39. Hentet fra https://tidsskrift.dk/lwo/article/view/129921