Native Speakerism

Native Speakerism: What is it?

Researchers of Critical Period Hypothesis (CPH), including Patkowski (1980), have argued that one needs to begin learning a second language before a certain age in order to attain very high or "native-like" proficiency in that language (Lightbown & Spada, 2021). But what exactly does that mean? Why are native speakers used as the standard for "proficiency" in a second language?

Here, I will use the term "native speakerism" to refer to the idea that the goal of second language (L2) learning is to sound indistinguishable from someone who speaks that language as their mother tongue (Cook, 1997). Many studies in Second Language Acquisition (SLA) compare L2 learners' speech to that of native speakers in order to measure L2 proficiency (Cook, 1997). Anything that falls short of native-like competence in the target language is considered to be an unsuccessful attempt at language learning (Cook, 1997). But what does 'native-like competence' mean, and who is considered to be a native speaker?

Who are Native Speakers?

If the goal of language learning is to sound like a native speaker of that language, then what does a native speaker sound like? English, for example, is spoken by approximately 1.35 billion people around the world, either as a first or second language (Lyons, 2021). Furthermore, there is an innumerable amount of varieties of English spoken around the world, including different accents and dialects used by native speakers in Canada, the United Kingdom, Nigeria, Jamaica, etc. (Lightbown & Spada, 2021). Even within the same country, English pronunciation can vary considerably, as we can see in this YouTube video (WIRED, 2021). As well, a person's English can differ depending on their ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status (Cook, 1997). Therefore, whose "English" should be used as the basis to which we compare L2 learners' speech? How can we judge if a second language learner sounds like 'a native speaker,' when each variety of a language, along with the speech patterns of each individual speaker of that variety, differ? Why must a second language learner focus on sounding indistinguishable from a native speaker if so much diversity exists in the speech of native speakers themselves (Cook, 1997)?

Can you understand me?

One of the goals of learning a second language is to communicate in a comprehensible manner with other speakers of that language. However, why should the focus solely be placed on communicating with native speakers? Today, speakers of English as a Second Language (ESL) outnumber first language English speakers (Lightbown & Spada, 2021). English has become a 'lingua franca,' a language used around the globe, and many use it regularly to communicate with other ESL speakers (Lightbown & Spada, 2021). Therefore, if an ESL speaker's language sounds odd to a native speaker of English, but perfectly comprehensible to their intended audience or to another ESL learner, can we judge their proficiency level to be lacking? After all, they have effectively communicated their message to their interlocutor. Despite their being able to effectively communicate in their target language, L2 learners' speech is often seen as inferior to that of native speakers; this is due to perceived grammar mistakes, accentedness, or errors in pronunciation (Cook, 1997; Lightbown & Spada, 2021). However, people who use English as a first language are still able to understand other native speakers from across the globe, even if their syntax and grammar are different. Why, then, are the speech patterns of second language learners singled out (Cook 1997)? I believe that the emphasis in second language learning on achieving native-like competence is outdated; educators should instead focus on helping learners' reach their goals.

Does CPH Help Learners?

Critical Period Hypothesis maintains that learners need to begin studying a language before the end of the critical period in order to successfully master it. Successfully learning a language is often equated with achieving native-like competence; however, there is no one definitive way to sound like a native speaker. First and second language users alike use their language in a myriad of different ways in order to attain diverse goals.

The over-emphasis on reaching a native-like final state in language learning, especially prevalent in research on CPH, has led many to view second language learners' speech as "deficit" (Cook, 2016, p. 186). L2 users' language is perceived this way only because it is different from that of native speakers, not necessarily because it is incomprehensible (Cook, 1997). Presenting second language speakers' speech as "deficit" will not help them learn any better. Emotion is a powerful tool in education, and only focusing on learners' perceived weaknesses is not conducive to their learning (Ormrod et al., 2008). L2 users' speech is simply different, not wrong (Cook, 1997).

Furthermore, as seen above, L2 learners do not necessarily learn a second language in order to sound like or to communicate with native speakers. Attaining native-speaker competence, the focus of many studies of CPH, simply does not matter to a lot of second language learners. The idea of a critical period for language learning is irrelevant to those who only need to use a second language to meet basic communicative needs.

Although research done on CPH can provide us with more information on how learners acquire language depending on their age (see "Implications in Language Teaching"), the focus on native-speaker competence is discouraging or irrelevant for many learners.