Chapter 12. Phonological and phonetic development in study abroad research

Abstract

There is an old anecdote about Daniel Jones (the real Professor Higgins in My Fair Lady/Pygmalion) according to which all he needed was “his ears” for phonetics fieldwork. Currently, many linguists do not receive enough phonetic training and consequently may not have Jones’ acoustically tuned ears. However, technology has afforded researchers new instruments that make phonetic analysis a widely accessible field of inquiry. Recent years have also seen increased attention to issues in second language methodology. In this chapter I discuss some methodological issues that may affect validity and contribute to the possibility of variable findings in research on phonological and phonetic development in study abroad. The chapter follows the standard structure and reviews first what has been done in the literature; then identifies possible issues with current practice; and finally makes proposals for improvements and future developments.