ABSTRACT
There has been a growing need for investigations into the process of multiple language acquisition since the study of third language acquisition (TLA) can offer new insights into the process of language learning that research on the first or the second language alone cannot provide. As evidenced in the emerging literature in the field of TLA, learners acquiring an additional foreign language differ significantly from adult second language (L2) learners mainly due to broadened phonetic repertoire, enhanced perceptual sensitivity, a higher level of metalinguistic awareness, language-learning experience and strategies, and other factors. Due to the inherent complexity of the process of multilingual acquisition, several methodological concerns have been involved in research on third language (L3) phonology. The posited linguistic explanations for a potential bilingual advantage include more extensive articulatory and perceptual knowledge and phonological awareness. In the realm of L3 segmental studies, the vast majority has focused either on the acoustic measurements of voice onset time and vowel formants.
