LEOPOLD-FRANZENS-UNIVERSITÄT INNSBRUCK
INSTITUT FÜR ANGLISTIK
Einladung
zum Gastvortrag von
Dr. Susanne Reiterer
Centre for Language Learning and Teaching Research, University of Vienna, Austria
Spitalgasse 2-4, Campus-Court 8.3., 1090 Vienna, Austria
Tel.: 0043/1/4277/45201
Email: Susanne.Reiterer@univie.ac.at.
“L2 acquisition and individual differences in aptitude:
comparing psycho-cognitive aspects of early and late stage
phonetic language learning”
(Data from a large-scale study from brain imaging to behavior)
Freitag, 14. Dezember 2012
10.30 Uhr
Hörsaal 4
Research Interests and CV
I am interested in cognitive neuroscience of multilingualism and second language
acquisition with the underlying aim of contributing to improvements in language
learning/teaching methodology. Despite a general interest into the neurobiology of
language and brain imaging (fMRI and EEG) one of my main interests centers around
hyper-polyglottism and individual differences in language talent (foreign and native
language aptitude) and how this relates to linguistic theory.
Doctor of Science (Dr.rer.nat) in Psychology (Biological Psychology), University of Vienna.
Post Doctoral Research group leader of a DFG project entitled The neural correlates of
phonetic language talent at the Department of Neuro-radiology, Section for Experimental
MR of the CNS & Hertie Insitute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen
(together with Profs. Wolfgang Grodd, Hermann Ackermann).
ASSOCIATIONS / MEMBERSHIPS
International Organisation of Human Brain Mapping (OHBM)
The Society for the Neurobiology of Language
Verband für Angewandte Linguistik /Austrian Society for Applied Linguistics (VERBAL)
Österreichische Gesellschaft für Sprachendidaktik/ Austrian Society for Foreign Language
Teaching and Learning (ÖGSD)
It is a commonplace observation that people differ in their aptitude in second language
acquisition, especially in the phonetic-articulatory aspect. Many cognitive and personality
factors have been assumed to correlate with L2 pronunciation aptitude, like: phonetic
coding ability, phonological working memory (PWM), music aptitude, or personality. The
current study aimed at clarifying the (a) behavioural predictors together with (b)
neurophysiological underpinnings of individual differences in L2 pronunciation aptitude in
both initial- and advanced-stages of L2 acquisition by investigating an unknown foreign
language – Hindi (L0), and a well trained L2 - English.
We suggest that L2 pronunciation aptitude is a dynamic process, requiring a variety of
neural resources at different processing stages over time. Phonological working memory
and its neurobiological substrates (left-sided frontal and parietal areas) significantly
contributed to the initial-stage learning. By contrast, not the PWM, but phonetic coding
ability together with the personality aspect “empathy” as well as the related speech-motor
and auditory perceptual distributed brain networks significantly contributed to the
advanced-stage learning (English).
From this we conclude that the picture is very complex and individual differences in
phonetic imitation “talent” multi-causal, because many aspects contribute to success in
phonetic L2 learning. We want to also highlight that the realm of emotions is an important
and perhaps underestimated searching ground for individual differences in L2
achievement.