It is often claimed that child English L2 learners take up to seven years to attain English skills commensurate with those of monolingual peers; however, existing research is insufficient to know if this claim is valid for oral language abilities in particular. This study examined the lexical and morphological abilities of English L2 learners and their monolingual peers (ages 12–15; N = 227) in Canadian middle schools to determine the timeline for convergence with monolinguals, and what factors predict individual differences among L2 learners. Having seven or more years of schooling was insufficient for all L2 learners to converge with monolinguals on all measures; moreover, growth in English abilities slowed after seven years. Regression analyses revealed that use of English with friends, parental education, and cognitive skills predicted individual variation in the L2 learners’ English abilities and, thus, contributed to their potential for convergence with monolinguals.

中文翻译：

---

青春期英语第二语言学习者的口语概况

通常声称，儿童英语 L2 学习者需要长达七年的时间才能获得与单语同龄人相称的英语技能；然而，现有的研究不足以知道这种说法是否特别适用于口语能力。本研究考察了英语 L2 学习者及其单语同龄人（12-15 岁；ñ= 227) 在加拿大中学确定与单语者趋同的时间表，以及哪些因素可以预测 L2 学习者之间的个体差异。7 年或以上的学校教育不足以让所有第二语言学习者在所有方面都与单语学习者趋同；此外，七年后英语能力的增长放缓。回归分析显示，与朋友一起使用英语、父母教育和认知技能可以预测二语学习者英语能力的个体差异，因此有助于他们与单语者趋同的潜力。