One of the consequences of the globalization of the world in which we live is the ubiquitous presence of multilingualism and the increasing need to learn multiple languages. In this book, we have focused on one particular aspect of this multilingualism, namely, the acquisition of the sound system of a non-native language. Our discussion was guided by two general objectives. First, we wished to offer you, the reader, an in-depth introduction to the major L2 speech research themes and questions, the theoretical frameworks and methodologies used to investigate these, and, finally, the rich range of experimental research that has been conducted on a vast array of topics. All of this was done paying attention to the key concepts and frameworks in phonetics and phonology necessary to understand this research. Our second objective was to produce a manual that would provide present and future researchers not only with the required theoretical and empirical background but also the intellectual and methodological tools necessary for conceptualizing an experiment, formulating research hypotheses, designing an experiment to test these hypotheses, and analyzing the results. Indeed, all of the chapters in this book have had both a theoretical and practical component.
Here, we will review the main themes and findings of each chapter in order to provide a succinct overview of L2 speech research to date (§9.1.1). We will also highlight topics that received little or no attention in the preceding chapters (§9.1.2). We then turn to future research, first discussing some promising technologies (§9.2.1) as well as alternate data sources, then possible areas and research questions for future L2 speech research (§9.2.2).
An overview of past L2 speech research
Having reached this point in the book, you are now aware of the range of acquisition topics, L1–TL pairings, and phonetic and phonological structures that have been previously studied. In order to draw out the major themes covered, including similarities between chapters, we will first review the main themes and findings discussed in this book (§9.1.1), then turn to several topics that received little attention but that very much merit study.