Sure, accents are only maintained if a person learns the second language
after the age of 12-14. So, as per you younger sibling, s/he was
exposed to and learned the Chicago accent while their brain was still
quite plastic. As with all statements about human behavior, there will
be exceptions. But it has been fairly well established that brain
plasticity is far more evident before the age of around 12. This
principle is evident relative to how younger children learn all types of
new skills easier at younger ages. I vividly recall a music critic
talking about how a very impressive pianist would never be able to
attain top-level performance as he had started playing the piano after
the age of 12.
Joan
[email protected]
Penley, Julie wrote:
Hello TIPSters,
A student asked me why children don't always have the same accent as their parents,
particularly in the case of parents who are second-language learners. A follow-up
question from the class is why siblings who are raised together don't always have the
same accents -- for example, a family moves from Chicago to Arkansas (like mine did) and
the youngest child is the only sibling that does NOT have a typical "Southern"
accent. Is there a neurological explanation for this, or are these primarily
environmental effects?
Julie
Julie A. Penley, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Psychology
Special Assistant to the Dean
El Paso Community College
PO Box 20500
El Paso, TX 79998-0500
Office phone: (915) 831-3210
Department fax: (915) 831-2324
email: [email protected]
webpage: http://dnn.epcc.edu/facultywebpages/jpenley
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