Abstract

In this paper, the author investigates the influence and interrelatedness of certain socio-linguistic variables, usually considered significant in foreign language acquisition, especially on the level of phonology, i.e. in acquiring the phonological system of a foreign language. The data collected by empirical research presented in this paper show that, although the influence of some of these variables is doubtless and remarkable, it is not always possible to single out one of them and to disregard the rest for purposes of analysis. It is not always possible to say which of these influences will prevail under some circumstances either. The acquisition of a foreign phonological system is an immensely complex process, influenced by numerous factors simultaneously, and so is, as the data presented here show, the process of acquiring one's own 'standard language', if it differs from the dialect one acquired as mother-tongue