This volume offers a definitive source for understanding social influences in L2 pronunciation, demonstrating the importance of empirical findings from a number of research perspectives, and outlining the directions that future work can take. The aim is to present a coherent argument for the significance of social factors and how they contribute to phonological acquisition.

Language learners beyond early childhood are scarcely expected to reach native-like abilities in their new language, yet some do. Are these individuals uniquely gifted? If so, are such gifts innate, or the result of intense drive, optimal experience, opportunity, or something else altogether? Bringing together theory and empirical work from across disciplines, this ground-breaking book aims to better understand the perennial mystery of giftedness in language learning (GLL). Incorporating quantitative, qualitative, and case study data, this analysis demonstrates the need to reach across cognitive, neural, emotional, psychological, and social lines to understand native-likeness in a second language. All such 'outliers' face limits, potentials, and choices. What they do in the face of these is key. With this complexity in mind, specific recommendations are provided to re-orient the research toward an appreciation of the individual's role, and a clearer understanding of the inherent balance of nature and nurture in GLL.

Language learners beyond early childhood are scarcely expected to reach native-like abilities in their new language, yet some do. Are these individuals uniquely gifted? If so, are such gifts innate, or the result of intense drive, optimal experience, opportunity, or something else altogether? Bringing together theory and empirical work from across disciplines, this ground-breaking book aims to better understand the perennial mystery of giftedness in language learning (GLL). Incorporating quantitative, qualitative, and case study data, this analysis demonstrates the need to reach across cognitive, neural, emotional, psychological, and social lines to understand native-likeness in a second language. All such 'outliers' face limits, potentials, and choices. What they do in the face of these is key. With this complexity in mind, specific recommendations are provided to re-orient the research toward an appreciation of the individual's role, and a clearer understanding of the inherent balance of nature and nurture in GLL.

To what extent do our accents determine the way we are perceived by others? Is a foreign accent inevitably associated with social stigma? Accent is a matter of great public interest given the impact of migration on national and global affairs, but until now, applied linguistics research has treated accent largely as a theoretical puzzle. In this fascinating account, Alene Moyer examines the social, psychological, educational and legal ramifications of sounding 'foreign'. She explores how accent operates contextually through analysis of issues such as: the neuro-cognitive constraints on phonological acquisition, individual factors that contribute to the 'intractability' of accent, foreign accent as a criterion for workplace discrimination, and the efficacy of instruction for improving pronunciation. This holistic treatment of second language accent is an essential resource for graduate students and researchers interested in applied linguistics, bilingualism and foreign language education.

To what extent do our accents determine the way we are perceived by others? Is foreign accent inevitably associated with social stigma? Accent is a matter of great public interest given the impact of migration on national and global affairs, but until now, applied linguistics research has treated accent largely as a theoretical puzzle. In this fascinating account, Alene Moyer examines the social, psychological, educational and legal ramifications of sounding 'foreign'. She explores how accent operates contextually through analysis of issues such as: the neuro-cognitive constraints on phonological acquisition, individual factors that contribute to the 'intractability' of accent, foreign accent as a criterion for workplace discrimination, and the efficacy of instruction for improving pronunciation. This holistic treatment of second language accent is an essential resource for graduate students and researchers interested in applied linguistics, bilingualism and foreign language education.