Phonetic L2 development and phonetic attrition in L1 Arabic L2 English immigrants’ voiced stop production

This study investigates the impact of L2 development in L1 Arabic L2 English speakers on their L1 voiced stop production during a word reading task potentially indicating a use-driven aspect to phonetic attrition in immigrants' speech. The study involved 10 participants who have been residing in the US for durations ranging from 1 to 24 years. Previous research on the influence of L2 exposure on L1 speech found conflicting results: some studies suggest stronger phonetic attrition following prolonged immersion, while others emphasize changes in the early stages of exposure (Flege, 1987; Chang, 2012; 2013). They used The Speech Learning Model (SLM) to explain their findings by focusing on SLM predictions on L1 production. However, addressing changes in L1 speech without accounting for L2 speech and its developmental effects, a gap noted in previous studies, seems inaccurate. The L1-L2 link is essential to SLM. Therefore, this study aims to address this gap. The results indicate a correlation between L2 development and L1 production of voiced stops, with voice onset times being the measured phonetic dimension. Participants demonstrating higher proficiency in L2 tend to exhibit L1 speech that more closely mirrors L2 characteristics, suggesting a link between L1 production and L2 development.