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Language change in Japanese-English bilingual returnee children over the course of five years : Evidence from accent-rating

Laméris, Tim ; Kubota, Maki ; Kupisch, Tanja LU ; Cabrelli, Jennifer ; Snape, Neal and Rothman, Jason (2024) In Second Language Research
Abstract
Few studies have examined global foreign accent (GFA) in bilingual children, and little is known about how GFA changes over time and what factors determine change. Here, we examine GFA trajectories in Japanese–English bilingual returnees (Japanese children who returned to Japan after having lived in a majority English environment for several years). In two accent-rating tasks, first language (L1) speakers of English or Japanese rated returnee speech excerpts recorded at three time points over a five-year period. The ratings show a decrease in Japanese GFA one year after return to Japan, and an increase in English GFA, but only five years after return. These findings suggest rapid re-exposure effects of the L1 and relatively stable... (More)
Few studies have examined global foreign accent (GFA) in bilingual children, and little is known about how GFA changes over time and what factors determine change. Here, we examine GFA trajectories in Japanese–English bilingual returnees (Japanese children who returned to Japan after having lived in a majority English environment for several years). In two accent-rating tasks, first language (L1) speakers of English or Japanese rated returnee speech excerpts recorded at three time points over a five-year period. The ratings show a decrease in Japanese GFA one year after return to Japan, and an increase in English GFA, but only five years after return. These findings suggest rapid re-exposure effects of the L1 and relatively stable maintenance of the second language (L2). Changes varied by L2 English age of onset (AoO) and exposure to L2 English while abroad, suggesting a crucial role for these individual factors in transitory contexts such as returnee bilingualism. (Less)
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author
; ; ; ; and
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
epub
subject
keywords
attrition, exposure, global accent, Japanese, returnees
in
Second Language Research
publisher
SAGE Publications
external identifiers
  • scopus:85187943610
ISSN
0267-6583
DOI
10.1177/02676583241230854
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
09735d57-2251-4a60-9178-f8a1075bc939
date added to LUP
2024-10-25 14:44:02
date last changed
2025-04-04 14:03:02
@article{09735d57-2251-4a60-9178-f8a1075bc939,
  abstract     = {{Few studies have examined global foreign accent (GFA) in bilingual children, and little is known about how GFA changes over time and what factors determine change. Here, we examine GFA trajectories in Japanese–English bilingual returnees (Japanese children who returned to Japan after having lived in a majority English environment for several years). In two accent-rating tasks, first language (L1) speakers of English or Japanese rated returnee speech excerpts recorded at three time points over a five-year period. The ratings show a decrease in Japanese GFA one year after return to Japan, and an increase in English GFA, but only five years after return. These findings suggest rapid re-exposure effects of the L1 and relatively stable maintenance of the second language (L2). Changes varied by L2 English age of onset (AoO) and exposure to L2 English while abroad, suggesting a crucial role for these individual factors in transitory contexts such as returnee bilingualism.}},
  author       = {{Laméris, Tim and Kubota, Maki and Kupisch, Tanja and Cabrelli, Jennifer and Snape, Neal and Rothman, Jason}},
  issn         = {{0267-6583}},
  keywords     = {{attrition; exposure; global accent; Japanese; returnees}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{SAGE Publications}},
  series       = {{Second Language Research}},
  title        = {{Language change in Japanese-English bilingual returnee children over the course of five years : Evidence from accent-rating}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/02676583241230854}},
  doi          = {{10.1177/02676583241230854}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}