Ana P. Biazon Rocha

As an English teacher, have you ever heard this deceptively simple question:What’s the best age to learn pronunciation? This usually sparks strong opinions, especially when learners compare themselves with other (younger) learners. As we look ahead to PronSIG’s Pre‑Conference Event (PCE), Lifelong Voices: Teaching pronunciation from childhood to seniorhood, let’s take a moment to review what research actually says about age and pronunciation, and most importantly, what it means for our classrooms.

Generally speaking, age does matter, but not in the straightforward way it is commonly assumed. As explained in the abstract of our PCE, pronunciation learning is shaped by biology, experience, identity, motivation and the environments in which we teach and learn. Understanding this complexity helps us support learners at every stage of life, from playful early phonological awareness to the confidence‑building needs of senior learners.

A. Why Pronunciation and Age?

Human beings are incredibly sensitive to the pronunciations of others, no matter their age. Unlike subtle grammatical knowledge, which can be hard to detect outside a lab, accents are immediately audible, even to untrained listeners (Ortega, 2008). Therefore, pronunciation is believed to be directly linked to a critical period in childhood. This refers to the much-debated critical period hypothesis (CPH), which postulates that ‘there is a biologically determined window during which language acquisition occurs most efficiently and beyond which the ability to learn a language diminishes’ (Brown & Lee, 2025, p. 42).

For some researchers, such as Scovel (1988, 2000), pronunciation is unique because it relies heavily on neuromuscular control: a large portion of the brain’s cortex is dedicated to coordinating the lips, tongue, throat and lower face (Ortega, 2008). Since these motor patterns become established early in life, Scovel suggested that adults simply cannot achieve native‑like pronunciation after puberty. This idea became known as the ‘Joseph Conrad phenomenon’, named after the Polish‑born author whose English writing was excellent but whose spoken accent remained strong throughout his life (Celce-Murcia et al., 2010).

This probably resonates with many of our teaching experiences: a great number of our adult learners do retain some degree of accent. However, the more we learn from research, the more we realise it is not quite that simple.

B. What does research actually show?

1. Age of onset influences accent, but not because adults ‘lose the ability’

Although studies frequently show that learners who start learning a second language (L2) later in life are more likely to have a foreign‑sounding accent, this does not mean they are biologically incapable of learning new sounds (Ortega, 2008).

According to Flege (1987, 1999), from around age five to seven, children’s first language (L1) sound categories become stabilised. After that, new sounds are filtered through the L1 system, making it harder, but not impossible, to perceive and produce contrasts that do not exist in the first language. Flege claimed that foreign accents may arise ‘not because one has lost the ability to learn to pronounce, but because one has learned to pronounce the L1 so well’ (1999, p. 125, as cited in Ortega, 2008, p. 23).

This shifts the focus from biological decline to perceptual experience. In other words, adults have decades of deeply rooted L1 habits, and these shape how they hear and produce new sounds. It is not necessarily a matter of biological defect. 

2. Early exposure is not a guarantee

Celce-Murcia et al. (2010) state that early childhood exposure alone does not ensure native‑like pronunciation. Children who receive limited input, or lack opportunities for meaningful L1 use, may rely heavily on their L1 and may not develop target-like pronunciation, even if they start young. The amount of L1 use, quality of L2 input and opportunities for authentic output are extremely important (Celce-Murcia et al., 2010). 

This challenges the popular (and simplistic) view that ‘younger is always better’. Younger learners may have advantages, but they also need rich, consistent exposure and supportive environments.

3. Adults learn differently, not worse

Cognitive science has shown that the adult brain retains plasticity throughout life (Brown & Lee, 2025). This shows that adults can form new neural networks, but they integrate new sounds into existing systems rather than building from scratch (Celce-Murcia et al., 2010). To put it simply, the process is different from children’s, but it does not mean it is ruined.

In addition, even though adults may face challenges such as reduced auditory sensitivity after age 60, self‑consciousness, or limited exposure in classroom settings, they bring great strengths: metalinguistic awareness, learning strategies and clearer personal goals (Celce-Murica et al., 2010). Brown and Lee (2025) also point out that adults can gain cognitive advantages from learning an L2, including stronger executive functioning and a delay in age‑related cognitive decline.

C. What does this all mean for teaching pronunciation across the lifespan?

What can be concluded from the evidence above is that pronunciation teaching should be tailored to learners’ developmental, cognitive and affective needs at different ages:

  • Young learners benefit from playful, multisensory activities that build phonological awareness without pressure, such as movements, gestures, rhymes, rap music and games (Tergujeff, 2022). For more on teaching pronunciation to young learners, please check this previous blog post (2021) or this previous blog post (2024). 
  • Teenagers can start handling more explicit explanations, rules and technical terms, such as ‘stressed/unstressed syllables’, ‘intonation’ and ‘linking sounds’, as well as observing differences across accents of English and discussing them (Tergujeff, 2022).
  • Adults usually benefit from confidence‑building, goal‑setting and explicit instruction that helps them notice and adjust L1-based perception to L2 production (Celce-Murcia et al., 2010). 
  • Senior learners need instruction that helps lower their anxiety and low-risk tasks that guide them into pronunciation practice. This is an area of pronunciation instruction that needs more attention (Baran-Łucarz, 2023).

If Scovel is right that most adults will not achieve native‑like pronunciation, then our goal should be comfortable intelligibility rather than ‘perfection’ (Baran-Łucarz, 2023; Celce-Murcia et al., 2010; Tergujeff, 2022). If Flege is right that adults can improve significantly with the right input and motivation, then our teaching should empower learners to make meaningful progress (Ortega, 2008). Either way, the classroom becomes a space for growth, not limitation.

D. Looking ahead to the PCE

As mentioned previously, our PCE will explore these themes in depth. Our line-up is stellar as usual:

  • Barbora Müller Dočkalová & Kristýna Červinková Poesová – Heads, Hands & Hearts: Active pronunciation for the primary classroom
  • Jason R Levine – From cringe to confidence: Pronunciation teaching teens will actually enjoy
  • Tracey Derwing (joining online) – Language training in the workplace: From the factory floor to engineering teams – How can a teacher help?
  • Małgorzata Baran-Łucarz – Foreign language pronunciation learning in late adulthood: Insights from research, teachers, and learners.

Image 1. PCE 2026 Speakers line-up

We hope to celebrate the diversity of English learners’ voices, and the idea that pronunciation teaching can truly be for life. As Tergujeff (2022, p. 256) puts it, ‘students of all ages can develop their abilities in a second language, and it is never too late or too early to study L2 pronunciation’. 

If you have not registered for our PCE online or in person, no time like the present. Register now. We hope to see you there.

For more discussions, ideas and tips on pronunciation teaching, please check previous posts here. Don’t forget to leave your comments below and follow PronSIG on social media. 

References

Baran-Łucarz, M. (2023). Teaching pronunciation to older adult EFL learners. In V. G. Sardegna & A. Jarosz (Eds.), English Pronunciation Teaching. Theory, Practice and Reflection (251–267). Multilingual Matters.

Brown, H. D., & Lee, H. (2025). Principles of Language Learning and Teaching: A Course in Second Language Acquisition. Seventh edition. Routledge. 

Celce-Murcia, M., Brinton, D. M., & Goodwin, J. M. (2010). Teaching Pronunciation: A Course Book and Reference Guide. Second Edition. Cambridge University Press.

Flege, J. E. (1987). A Critical Period for Learning to Pronounce Foreign Languages? Applied Linguistics, 8(2), 162–177. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/8.2.162 

Flege, J. E. (1999). Age of learning and second-language speech. In D. P. Birdsong (Ed.),

Second Language Acquisition and The Critical Period Hypothesis (101–32). Lawrence Erlbaum.

Ortega, L. (2009). Understanding Second Language Acquisition. Understanding Language Series. Routledge. 

Scovel, T. (1988). A Time to Speak: A Psycholinguistic Inquiry into the Critical Period for Human Speech. Newbury House.

Scovel, T. (2000). A critical review of the critical period research. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 20, 213–223. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0267190500200135 

Terguieff, E. (2022). Pronunciation Teaching in EFL K-12 settings. In J. Levis, T. M. Derwing, & S. Sonsaat-Hegelheimer, Second Language Pronunciation. Bridging the Gap Between Research and Teaching (235-253). Wiley Blackwell.