In this study the author will focus on the second generation, their children, who were all born and raised in Germany, to see if the influence of the Turkish culture through their parents and the influence of the German culture which they were born into, has an effect on their pronunciation in their parent’s language.
Another observation that inspired this research is the following. Native Turkish speakers living in Turkey are usually quick in realizing whether or not a person is a bilingual German-Turkish person because of the way German-Turkish people use long and short vowels. The Turkish language does not have as many long vowels as the German language. Her prediction is that by being German-dominant speakers and thus being used to a stress-timed language the German-Turkish speakers will have trouble producing the right duration of vowels in Turkish.
In the research the author does not only want to analyze the way German-dominant bilingual speakers of Turkish produce vowels but also see if there is any correlation between the way they see themselves in regard to the Turkish language and culture. Other researchers have also laid their focus on the concern for pronunciation accuracy or the desire to sound native-like but as afore mentioned the focus will be on the attitude towards the language and culture. Because there is hardly one dominant opinion about the influence of attitude towards the production of a language, she also hopes to help to further understand this relationship. This will also be interesting when projected to language acquisition in general. Can people who have a better attitude towards the language and culture of their target language acquire said language more easily? Can the heritage language and the dominant culture in which the learners live hinder or further the language acquisition?
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Previous Research
2.1 Research on Attitude
2.3 German-Turkish culture
3. Participants and Methods
3.1 Participants’ profiles
3.2 Data collection
4. Results
4.1 Questionnaire
4.2 Vowel Duration in Turkish
5. Discussion
5.1 Results of Attitude towards Turkish Language and Culture
5.2 Vowel Duration in Turkish
5.3 Relation of Attitude found in Questionnaire and the Vowel Duration
6. Conclusion
7. Bibliography
8. Appendix
Research Objectives and Key Topics
The research examines the influence of attitude towards language and culture on the phonological attainment of bilingual German-dominant heritage speakers of Turkish. The study investigates whether a positive connection to the heritage language and culture correlates with more native-like vowel production in Turkish among second-generation immigrants raised in Germany.
- Impact of language attitudes on pronunciation accuracy.
- Phonological characteristics of German-dominant heritage speakers of Turkish.
- Role of identity and self-perception in language maintenance.
- Correlation between sociolinguistic factors and vowel duration production.
- Analysis of German-Turkish bilingualism and cultural integration.
Excerpt from the Book
1. Introduction
In Foreign Accent, Alene Moyer mentions that there is “little doubt that attitudes play some role in phonological attainment, however, the directness of that relationship is uncertain” (Moyer, 2013, p. 70). Moyers statement is comprehensible when one remembers that attitude is something that is hard to measure or score; unlike things like phonetic contrasts, these would be things that a researcher could hear and thus analyze. Although there is some research about the influence of attitude on foreign language acquisition (each with different outcomes), there seems to be none about the influence of attitude when looking at bilinguals and their two native languages.
Moyer also mentions two extreme examples of people immigrating to Germany where one wants to be part of the culture and the other does not (Moyer, 2013, p. 71-72). This made me think of German-Turkish people living in Germany who usually are also very split between wanting to integrate or trying to perceive the Turkish culture. The first generation of Turkish people who immigrated to Germany usually tried preserving their culture and are often far from sounding native-like in German. In this study I will focus on the second generation, their children, who were all born and raised in Germany, to see if the influence of the Turkish culture through their parents and the influence of the German culture which they were born into, has an effect on their pronunciation in their parent’s language.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Outlines the research focus on the relationship between attitude and phonological attainment among German-dominant bilingual speakers of Turkish.
2. Previous Research: Discusses theoretical definitions of attitude, its three dimensions, and existing studies regarding foreign language acquisition and immigrant language development.
3. Participants and Methods: Describes the recruitment of four participants, their demographic profiles, and the data collection process involving a questionnaire and a reading task.
4. Results: Presents the findings from the questionnaire regarding language usage and the analysis of vowel duration deviations in the Turkish reading task.
5. Discussion: Interprets the participants' individual attitudes and connects them to their specific pronunciation performance, exploring the complex interplay between identity and language production.
6. Conclusion: Summarizes that while attitude can influence language production, other factors are equally significant, and the study highlights the complexity of researching this relationship.
Keywords
Bilingualism, Heritage Language, Turkish, German-Turkish, Language Attitude, Vowel Duration, Phonological Attainment, Second Generation, Language Acquisition, Sociolinguistics, Pronunciation, Identity, Cultural Integration, Language Maintenance, Linguistic Performance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this research?
The research examines the relationship between personal attitudes toward language and culture and the phonological performance (specifically vowel duration) of German-dominant bilinguals speaking Turkish.
What are the primary thematic areas?
The study covers bilingualism, language attitude, phonological accuracy, second-generation immigrant experiences, and the cultural identity of German-Turkish individuals.
What is the main goal or research question?
The study aims to determine if a more positive attitude toward Turkish language and culture leads to more native-like vowel production in second-generation heritage speakers.
Which scientific methods were employed?
The methodology includes a qualitative questionnaire to determine participant profiles and attitudes, combined with a phonological analysis of recorded reading tasks evaluated by a native Turkish speaker.
What is covered in the main body?
The main body details the theoretical background, describes the participant profiles, provides the data collection procedures, reports the questionnaire results, analyzes vowel duration deviations, and discusses the correlation between these findings.
Which keywords characterize this paper?
Key terms include bilingualism, heritage language, Turkish, German-Turkish, language attitude, vowel duration, and phonological attainment.
How did the author define "German-Turkish culture"?
The author defines it as the specific culture developed within the second generation of Turkish individuals living in Germany, distinct from both standard Turkish and German culture.
What was the main finding regarding vowel duration?
The study found that participants often struggled with sounds or durations that do not exist in the German sound system, frequently transferring German phonological patterns instead.
Did the author confirm the initial hypothesis?
The results were mixed; while the participant with the most negative attitude showed the most pronunciation errors, the author concluded that other factors besides attitude play a significant role in language acquisition.
- Quote paper
- Selin Izgi (Author), 2019, Influence of Attitude on the Pronunciation of Vowels in Turkish by bilingual German-dominant heritage-speakers of Turkish, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1005653
