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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 27, 2025

Foreign Accent and Forensic Speaker Identification in Voice Lineups: The Influence of Acoustic Features Based on Prosody

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Published on: September 27, 2024

A Multidimensional Perspective on Individual Differences in Multilingual Learners' L2 Chinese Speech Production.

Peijian Paul Sun¹, Lawrence Jun Zhang²

¹Department of Linguistics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.

Frontiers in Psychology

|March 7, 2020

Summary

This study reveals that cognitive, affective, and socio-cultural factors, alongside multilingualism, synergistically influence second/foreign language (L2) Chinese speaking ability. Understanding these interconnected elements is key for L2 learners and teachers.

Keywords:

L2 Chinese speech production affect cognition multilingualism socio-culture

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Area of Science:

Second Language Acquisition
Applied Linguistics
Sociolinguistics

Background:

Previous research examined cognitive, affective, and socio-cultural factors in isolation.
Limited studies have concurrently investigated these factors in L2 speaking development within a single cohort.

Purpose of the Study:

To comprehensively explore factors influencing L2 Chinese speaking ability.
To systematically understand the interplay of cognitive, affective, and socio-cultural dimensions on L2 speech production.

Main Methods:

Utilized Segalowitz's (2010) L2 speech production framework.
Collected data via focus groups and semi-structured interviews.
Involved 17 advanced L2 Chinese multilingual learners.

Main Results:

Identified key influencing factors: age of acquisition, cognitive fluency, learning styles, speaking strategies, motivation, anxiety, self-efficacy, willingness-to-communicate, L2 cultural interest, communities, classes, and multilingualism.
Speech performance and ability development are influenced by a combination of these factors.

Conclusions:

L2 Chinese speech production ability develops from the synergy of cognitive, affective, and socio-cultural dimensions.
Provides insights for L2 Chinese teachers and learners on supporting speech ability improvement.