Bilingualism and Developmental Linguistics research group

Speaker: Tim Laméris, University of Cambridge

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

Abstract: In this talk, I will discuss the process of second language attrition and heritage/native language re-exposure through an examination of global accent in Japanese-English bilingual returnee children (i.e., migrant children who returned to their first language environment after living some years in a second language environment) by using longitudinal data collected over the course of five years. The findings show an effect of attrition (i.e., increase in foreign-accentedness) in English after five years of return to Japan, and a rapid development (decrease in foreign-accentedness) in Japanese after a year of return. Additionally, we find modulatory effects of age of L2 onset and exposure on the changes in foreign-accentedness over time, suggesting that these factors are crucial in maintaining and developing the global accents of bilingual children in migrant context.