Chapter 2. The effects of exposure on awareness and discrimination of regional accents by five- and six year old children
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Erica Beck
Abstract
This study compares bi-dialectal and mono-dialectal five-and six-year-old children’s sociolinguistic awareness and ability to discriminate regional accents in their native language. Children who regularly hear multiple regional varieties in their input are expected to have better awareness and discrimination accuracy. The children participated in two tasks: an awareness task, assessing their knowledge of regional variation, and a similarity judgment task, assessing their ability to discriminate between speakers based on accents. Results show that both groups reliably discriminate between regional accents, and can identify a local regional accent. However, no advantage is found for either group of participants on either task. The effects of exposure to regional phonological variation on perception and awareness are discussed in light of these findings.
Abstract
This study compares bi-dialectal and mono-dialectal five-and six-year-old children’s sociolinguistic awareness and ability to discriminate regional accents in their native language. Children who regularly hear multiple regional varieties in their input are expected to have better awareness and discrimination accuracy. The children participated in two tasks: an awareness task, assessing their knowledge of regional variation, and a similarity judgment task, assessing their ability to discriminate between speakers based on accents. Results show that both groups reliably discriminate between regional accents, and can identify a local regional accent. However, no advantage is found for either group of participants on either task. The effects of exposure to regional phonological variation on perception and awareness are discussed in light of these findings.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Chapter 1. Bridging the gap between language acquisition and sociolinguistics 1
- Chapter 2. The effects of exposure on awareness and discrimination of regional accents by five- and six year old children 43
- Chapter 3. How do social networks influence children’s stylistic practices? 65
- Chapter 4. Child acquisition of sociolinguistic variation 91
- Chapter 5. Acquiring attitudes towards varieties of Dutch 117
- Chapter 6. What is the target variety? 155
- Chapter 7. The relationship between segregation and participation in ethnolectal variants 185
- Chapter 8. Socializing language choices 213
- Chapter 9. Language acquisition in bilectal environments 235
- Chapter 10. Acquisition of phonological variables of a Flemish dialect by children raised in Standard Dutch 267
- Chapter 11. Developmental sociolinguistics and the acquisition of T-glottalling by immigrant teenagers in London 305
- Author index 343
- Subject index 345
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Chapter 1. Bridging the gap between language acquisition and sociolinguistics 1
- Chapter 2. The effects of exposure on awareness and discrimination of regional accents by five- and six year old children 43
- Chapter 3. How do social networks influence children’s stylistic practices? 65
- Chapter 4. Child acquisition of sociolinguistic variation 91
- Chapter 5. Acquiring attitudes towards varieties of Dutch 117
- Chapter 6. What is the target variety? 155
- Chapter 7. The relationship between segregation and participation in ethnolectal variants 185
- Chapter 8. Socializing language choices 213
- Chapter 9. Language acquisition in bilectal environments 235
- Chapter 10. Acquisition of phonological variables of a Flemish dialect by children raised in Standard Dutch 267
- Chapter 11. Developmental sociolinguistics and the acquisition of T-glottalling by immigrant teenagers in London 305
- Author index 343
- Subject index 345
