| Although the study of the acquisition of an L2 English phonology, specifically the acquisition of English syllable-final codas, has received attention from second language acquisition researchers, the research in this area has bee mostly one-time rather than longitudinal, and thus has examined production, rather than the process of acquisition. In addition, research has typically focused on one linguistic constraint even though more than one process can affect the acquisition and production of a single segment. Furthermore, there has been very little research on how social factors constrain L2 acquisition, and how social factors and linguistic factors interact in the acquisition of a second language.; The overall purpose of this study is three-fold: (1) Describe and analyze Vietnamese learners' acquisition of English syllable-final codas over a longer period of time, examining acquisition orders, and similarities and differences between the learners; (2) Examine the effect of data type (i.e., word list vs. reading passage vs. interview data) on production; and (3) Examine how different linguistic and social factors constrain the acquisition of L2 syllable-final codas and how these constraints change over the duration of the study for each learner.; Results of the phonological and social data collected via weekly interviews for a duration of ten months indicate that primary linguistic constraints, which include the effects of L1 interference, developmental processes, and markedness, constrain the sequence of development of syllable codas both within and across stages as well as how consonants are modified. Secondary constraints, i.e., data type and linguistic environment, appear to affect production accuracy. Finally, social constraints in terms of the language use environment provides opportunities for and investment in meaningful L2 use, which may be necessary to push learners through the stages of development and minimize L1 retention. Social constraints also provide learners with the rich input necessary for L2 development. Without this input they may not move through the stages of acquisition, as well as potentially increasing the effect and duration of L1 interference effects if the language use environments of the learner are primarily L1. |
