L1 and L2 Phonetic Processing of Dutch L2 Learners of English: An Eye-Tracking Study

Abstract

There are multiple theoretical standpoints in Second Language Acquisition and the debate between them is far from settled. Some theories argue that the acquisition of L1 and L2 happen in very different ways, whilst others suggest the exact opposite. The current study attempts to shed light on this debate by making use of eye tracking. A previous study suggested that infants use selective attention to focus on the mouth to acquire the speech forms of their L1. This study explores the possibility of a similar process occurring in Dutch L2 learners of English. Our data suggests that there is a difference between L1 and L2 processing, yet no difference between processing of an L2 that is not being learned or an L2 that is being learned was found. Furthermore, the data suggests the possibility that the division of attention in an L2 that is being learned is affected by the age of the learner in question. Overall, the results seem to suggest the interpretation that there are separate mechanisms for L1 and L2 phonological processing. Whether this this effect would also be found for more proficient learners could not be established using our data.