A naturalness bias in learning stress

Phonology ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 345-392 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela C. Carpenter
Keyword(s):  
Native Speakers ◽  
Natural Process ◽  
Phonological Processes ◽  
Artificial Languages ◽  
Native Speakers Of English ◽  
Phonetic Cues ◽  
Stress Patterns ◽  
Natural Pattern ◽  
Better Than ◽  
Learning Stress

Recent research on the acquisition of natural vs. unnatural phonological processes provides some support for the idea that learning a natural process is easier than learning an unnatural one (Wilson 2003, 2006, Pycha et al.2003, Pater & Tessier 2005). This study extends those findings by comparing the acquisition of two stress patterns that are identical except in naturalness. Learners were native speakers of English, a language with variable stress, and French, a fixed stress language. Both English and French speakers learned the natural pattern significantly better than the unnatural. The artificial languages specifically neutralised the phonetic cues that might have given a perceptual advantage to the natural language. The findings suggest that a naturalness bias aids in the distinguishing and learning of a phonological pattern. To explain the results, I argue for an interaction between a general and a language-specific cognitive mechanism.

scholarly journals Extrametricality and second language acquisition

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guilherme Duarte Garcia
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Native Speakers Of English ◽  
Phonetic Cues ◽  
Stress Patterns

This pilot study investigates the second language acquisition (SLA) of stress in Portuguese (L2) by native speakers of English (L1). In particular, it examines the interaction between extrametricality and default stress through two judgement tasks. Stress is suprasegmental, relative and involves a variety of phonetic correlates: Cross-linguistically, stressed syllables tend to be realized with higher pitch, longer duration and greater intensity—but languages differ as to which of these correlates is more or less significant. Phonologically, stress presents some unique characteristics, such as the absence of a categorical feature [±stress]. Languages may also differ as to whether syllable shape affects stress (weight-sensitive) or not (weight-insensitive). Second language learners (L2ers) have to deal with such variability and, more importantly, have to acquire new stress patterns—some of which are often vastly different (even contradictory) when compared to the patterns (and phonetic cues) in their L1.

Het Effect van Het Gebruik van Engels OP Websites Voor Nederlandse Jongeren

2005 ◽  
Vol 74 ◽  
pp. 81-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Dasselaar ◽  
Frank van Meurs ◽  
Rob le Pair ◽  
Hubert Korzilius
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
The Other ◽  
Intention To Use ◽  
English Version ◽  
Dutch Version ◽  
Native Speakers Of English ◽  
Better Than ◽  
Secondary School Pupils

The use of English in advertising aimed at non-native speakers of English is claimed to enhance image and text evaluation and to have no negative impact on comprehension. We tested these claims using promotional websites aimed at Dutch youngsters. Dutch secondary school pupils evaluated a completely English and a partly English homepage and completely Dutch versions of these homepages. Each participant evaluated a version with English of one homepage and a completely Dutch version of the other homepage. No significant differences were found between the Dutch and English versions of the homepages regarding image of the product advertised, evaluation of the website, and intention to use the product. The Dutch version either scored better than the English version on text evaluation, or the differences between the versions were not significant. Respondents were better at describing the meaning of Dutch terms than of their English equivalents.

scholarly journals Using Nigerian English in an International Academic Setting

2012 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 143-158
Author(s):  
Una Cunningham
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Nonnative Speakers ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Native Speakers Of English ◽  
Nonnative Speakers Of English ◽  
The University ◽  
Nigerian Students ◽  
Gain Access ◽  
Better Than

This study examines the English pronunciation of a group of Nigerian students at a university in Sweden from the point of view of their intelligibility to two groups of listeners: 1) native speakers of English who are teachers at the university; 2) nonnative speakers of English who are teachers at the university. It is found that listeners who are accustomed to interacting with international students do better than those who are not, and that native speakers of English do no better or worse than non-native listeners. The conclusion is drawn that locally useful varieties of Nigerian English may not easily be used as for wider communication and that students preparing to study abroad would find it useful to gain access to a more widely intelligible variety.

The perception of word boundaries in a second language

2005 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 325-358 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evelyn P. Altenberg
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Perception Task ◽  
Word Boundaries ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
Native Speakers Of English ◽  
Phonetic Cues

Adult Spanish second language (L2) learners of English and native speakers of English participated in an English perception task designed to investigate their ability to use L2 acoustic-phonetic cues, e.g., aspiration, to segment the stream of speech into words. Subjects listened to a phrase and indicated whether they heard, e.g., keep sparking or keeps parking. The results indicate that learners are significantly worse than native speakers at using acoustic-phonetic cues, and that some types of stimuli are easier for learners to segment than others. The findings suggest that various factors, including transfer and markedness, may be relevant to success in L2 segmentation.

scholarly journals The Effect of Word-Initial Glottalization on Word Monitoring in Slovak Speakers of English

2012 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 173-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Volín ◽  
Mária Uhrinová ◽  
Radek Skarnitzl
Keyword(s):  
Test Item ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Word Boundary ◽  
Processing Load ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Native Speakers Of English ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Stress Patterns

The study investigates the impact of glottal elements before word-initial vowels on the speed of processing of the phrases taken from natural continuous speech. In many languages a word beginning with a vowel can be preceded by a glottal stop or a short period of creaky voice. However, languages differ in the extent of use and functions of this glottalization: it may be used to mark the word boundary, for instance, or to add special prominence to the word. The aim of the experiment was to find out whether the presence of the glottal element can influence reaction times in a word-monitoring paradigm. Users of different languages - Slovak and Czech learners of English, as well as native speakers of English - were participating in perception testing so that the influence of the mother tongue could be determined. The results confirm the effect of both glottalization and the L1 of the listeners. In addition, a significant effect of test item manipulations was found. Although the phrases with added or deleted glottal stops displayed no obvious acoustic artefacts, they produced longer reaction times than items with naturally present or absent glottalizations. We believe that this finding underlines the importance of inherent stress patterns, whose alterations lead to the increase in processing load.

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