The Second Language Linguistic Perception Model (L2LP)

In this chapter, we thoroughly describe the L2LP model, its five ingredients to explain speech development from first contact with a language or dialect (initial state) to proficiency comparable to a native speaker of the language or dialect (ultimate attainment), and its empirical, computational, and statistical method. We present recent studies comparing different types of bilinguals (simultaneous and sequential) and explaining their differential levels of ultimate attainment in different learning scenarios. We also show that although the model has the word “perception” in its name, it was designed to also explain phonological development in general, including lexical development, speech production, and orthographic effects. The studies reviewed in the chapter include new methods for examining lexical development and speech production, via implicit word learning and corpus-based analyses respectively, as well as a novel suprasegmental example of the L2LP SUBSET problem, which was conceptualized as the reverse of the commonly NEW scenario where L2 learners are phased with target contrasts that do not exist in their L1. We also review a recent study on the effect of bidialectalism on L2 acquisition, showing that the L2LP model’s explanations not only apply to speakers of multiple languages but also of multiple dialects. Finally, we present other topics and future directions, including phonetic training, going beyond segmental phonology, and the formalisation of orthographic effects in phonological development. All in all, the chapter demonstrates that the L2LP model can be regarded as a comprehensive theoretical, computational, and probabilistic model or framework for explaining how we learn the phonetics and phonology of multiple languages (sequentially or simultaneously) with variable levels of language input throughout the life span.