The effect of L1 use on pronunciation in Quichua-Spanish bilinguals

This study investigated the interaction of the L1 and L2 systems in bilinguals by assessing the e!ect of L1 use on L1 and L2 production accuracy. A novel design feature of this study is that it examined bilinguals who used their L1 on a regular basis in a bilingual setting: Otavalo, Ecuador. Thirty native Quichua speakers who were matched for age of Spanish acquisition were recruited to form three groups di!ering in self-reported L1 use. The three groups repeated aurally presented sentences from their L1 and L2. Monolingual listeners from each language rated the blocked, randomly presented sentences for degree of foreign accent. For the Spanish sentences, the group with the highest L1 use had stronger Quichua accents than the group with the lowest L1 use. On the other hand, L1 use had no e!ect on the ratings of the Quichua sentences. Results from an analysis of Korean}English bilinguals are also reported. These results replicate the "nding that L1 use a!ects L2, but not L1 production. These "ndings indicate that the interaction of the L1 and L2 systems a!ects the success of L2 acquisition, providing evidence that factors other than neurological maturation in#uence L2 acquisition. ( 2000 Academic Press