Convergence Toward the English Monophthongs: Young Learners in an L2 Context
Publication Date: 27/10/2019
Author(s): John T. Agor.
Volume/Issue: Volume 2 , Issue 1 (2019)
Abstract:
This paper investigates differing forms observed in the oral production of 250 respondents. These were early teenage pre-intermediate second-language learners of English. They were final-year students of two basic schools located in two different regions in Ghana, a multilingual post-colonial African country south of the Sahara. The respondents read aloud sections of familiar texts they themselves chose. The reading sessions and subsequent oral interaction sessions were video-taped, transcribed verbatim, and analysed. The respondents’ oral production of the English monophthongs as captured in the recordings was compared with corresponding forms in the Ghanaian school variety of English. This variety served as the reference point for the comparisons made. Differences observed were categorised and described focusing on their plausible sources. The findings indicate that all the differing forms recognised in their oral production were mother tongue induced. This has implications for second language theory, second language research, and second language pedagogy.
