پیام رسان بله
A Comparative Study of English Pronunciation Acquisition in Children and Adults: Which Age Group Achieves Greater Accuracy?
A Comparative Study of English Pronunciation Acquisition in Children and Adults: Which Age Group Achieves Greater Accuracy?
Naser Badali1 Rahman Nazari Bigdilou2
1) Instructor, Department of English Language, Parsabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Parsabad, Iran
2) Department of English Language, Parsabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Parsabad, Iran
IOI Code
:
AZGA-AACEAC
Publication :
5th International Conference on Advanced Research in Management And Humanities(huconf.com/5th)
Abstract :
This study comparatively explores the impact of age on second language (L2) English pronunciation acquisition, focusing on children (7–12 years) and adults (25–40 years) engaged in equivalent ESL programs over 12 weeks. A total of 60 participants, equally divided into two groups, were evaluated through pre- and post-intervention pronunciation tests, acoustic analyses, and perceptual ratings from native speakers. Results indicate that both groups showed significant improvement, with children increasing their average pronunciation score from 62.4 to 78.6 (mean difference = 16.2), while adults improved from 64.1 to 83.2 (mean difference = 19.1). Notably, adults achieved a higher post-test score (83.2 vs. 78.6, p = 0.002), demonstrating greater accuracy. Acoustic measures, such as vowel duration, also confirmed superior segmental control in adults. Perceptual ratings further supported these findings, with adults rated higher in accuracy and intelligibility. Qualitative data revealed that adults gained more confidence and utilized feedback more effectively, whereas children struggled more with prosody but remained more flexible. The findings confirm that age influences pronunciation development, with adults generally attaining higher accuracy, highlighting the need for age-specific instructional approaches. Future research should investigate long-term effects and the role of technological tools to enhance learning across age groups.
Keywords : second language acquisition pronunciation age intelligibility critical period hypothesis