Discovering the Relationship between Context and Allophones in a Second Language: Evidence for Distribution-Based Learning

Autor/inn/en	Shea, Christine E.; Curtin, Suzanne
Titel	Discovering the Relationship between Context and Allophones in a Second Language: Evidence for Distribution-Based Learning
Quelle	In: Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 32 (2011) 4, S.581-606 (26 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0272-2631
DOI	10.1017/S0272263110000276
Schlagwörter	Syllables; Vowels; Second Language Learning; Monolingualism; English; Adults; Spanish; Language Research; Pronunciation; Native Speakers; Phonology; Role; Learning Processes + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Silbe; Zweitsprachenerwerb; English language; Englisch; Spanisch; Sprachforschung; Aussprache; Muttersprachler; Fonologie; Rollen; Learning process; Lernprozess
Abstract	The identification of stressed syllables by adult second-language (L2) Spanish learners was examined for evidence of influence of an allophonic alternation driven by word position and stress. The Spanish voiced stop-approximant alternation, whereby stops occur in stressed-syllable and word onsets, was utilized. If L2 learners track the distribution of this alternation, they should tend to link stops to stressed syllables in word-onset position and approximants to unstressed, word-medial position. Low- and high-intermediate-level first-language English learners of Spanish as well as native Spanish and monolingual English speakers listened to a series of nonce words and determined which of the two consonant-vowel (CV) syllables they perceived as stressed. In Experiment 1, onset allophone and vowel stress were crossed. In Experiment 2, the onset allophone alternated and a vowel unmarked for prominence was used. The results show that the monolingual English and low-intermediate groups were more likely to perceive syllables with stressed vowels as stressed, regardless of the allophone onset. In contrast, listeners with greater Spanish proficiency performed similarly to native Spanish speakers and were more likely to perceive stress on syllables with stop onsets, a pattern that follows the distributional information of Spanish. This finding suggests that learning the interplay between allophonic distributions and their conditioning factors is possible with experience and that knowledge of this relationship plays a role in the acquisition of L2 allophones. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10