Cross-linguistic influence in second language speech : implications for learning and teaching

Cross-linguistic influence (CLI) is a commonly observed phenomenon that influences an individual’s ability to perceive, comprehend and speak in a second language (L2). As phonemic inventories differ across languages and dialects, cross-linguistic difficulty is not uniform. According to the Second Language Linguistic Perception model (L2LP), learners will initially perceive and produce the sounds of the L2 and recognise L2 words in the same way they do so in their own native language. As a result, predictions of L2 difficulty will be learner-specific and dependent on the specific phonetic properties of the native and target language dialects. This chapter presents an up to date and comprehensive description of the L2LP model and the studies that support it. We explain how the model accounts for CLI in L2 speech development, with particular attention to how the model accounts for the effect of L1-based CLI on L2 speech and the differences in learner performance due to dialectal variation. We will conclude by discussing the implications that this model has on language learning and teaching. Specifically, we will highlight the need for L2 teaching to be geared toward a detailed profiling of learners’ native language backgrounds and their individual learning needs and strategies