scholarly journals Analysis of the production of total interrogative sentences in Brazilian learners of Spanish as a foreign language

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 43-63
Author(s):  
E. C. O Dias ◽  
M. A Alves
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Role Play ◽  
Brazilian Portuguese ◽  
Control Group ◽  
High Tone ◽  
Nuclear Region ◽  
Job Interview ◽  
Colombian Spanish

The pitch curves in a language may represent not only distinct intonational patterns but also serve to differentiate one type of sentence from another (e.g., interrogative x affirmative). Different melodic curves may also contain linguistic information which can affect comprehension. One comparison between Spanish and Portuguese can exemplify how differences in the melodic curves of interrogative sentences might cause miscomprehension. According to Sosa (1999) melodic curves of yes/no questions in Spanish tend to end with a high melodic pattern (H) or with a high and low movement, depending on the dialect. On the other hand, Brazilian Portuguese yes/no questions are said to end with a circumflex pattern, generally represented by a (HL) tone, especially when the last word of the sentence presents the stress in the penultimate syllable (Moraes and Collamarco, 2007). Taking these facts into consideration, this work aims at analyzing the pitch curves of interrogative sentences (yes/no questions) of Colombian Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese, which were ended by words with stress relying on the last, the penultimate or the antepenultimate syllables. In order to conduct the research, data was collected with two Brazilian learners of Spanish, one native speaker of Colombian Spanish and one native speaker of Brazilian Portuguese. The native speakers served as control group. The learners of Spanish were asked to read 15 sentences in Spanish, and the control group was asked to read the same set of questions in their respective native language. These questions were contextualized as to be inserted in a situational context of a job interview (role play). All sentences were presented to the participants in a computer screen, in a randomized order. In total, the database was composed by 35 sentences in Spanish and 14 sentences in Brazilian Portuguese. The collected data was then analyzed in the software Praat through the algorithm Momel. This algorithm is able to draw the melodic contours of each sentence at a time. The algorithm Intsint was also used through Praat in order to extract the melodic tones corresponding to each curve. The intonational patterns (in nuclear and prenuclear regions) and the highest point of F0 in each sentence were analyzed. Results related to the sentences ended in words with stress in the last syllable showed that all subjects produced, predominantly, high ending patterns (H) in this type of sentences. Differences among subjects rely on the highest F0 point, which appeared with higher frequency in the nuclear region for the native speaker of Colombian Spanish and for the learners. For the prenuclear region, the results showed that the high and low movements were more prominent in the sentences produced by the learners than in the sentences produced by native speaker of Colombian Spanish. Regarding the sentences ended by words with stress in the penultimate and the antepenultimate syllables, results presented differences between the intonational patterns of Brazilian Portuguese and Spanish. The native speaker of Colombian Spanish presented a high ending tone (H) for all the sentences. The native speaker of Brazilian Portuguese and the Brazilian learners of Spanish varied their production either using a high tone (H) or a circumflex tone (HL). The highest point of F0 appeared with higher frequency in the nuclear region for the productions of the native speaker of Colombian Spanish when compared to production of the Brazilian learners of Spanish and the native speaker of Brazilian Portuguese. These results may be due either to the influence of the intonational pattern of the learner’s L1 or to the influence of other varieties of Spanish which the learners have had contact with.

AGE AND ULTIMATE ATTAINMENT IN THE PRONUNCIATION OF A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

1997 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 447-465 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theo Bongaerts ◽  
Chantal van Summeren ◽  
Brigitte Planken ◽  
Erik Schils
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Native Speakers Of English ◽  
Late Start ◽  
Ultimate Attainment

This paper reports on two studies that addressed the issue of ultimate attainment by late second language learners. The aim of the studies, which included a carefully screened group of highly successful Dutch learners of English in their designs, was to determine whether or not late second language learners who had achieved a nativelike performance in the pronunciation of a second language could be identified. Speech samples provided by two groups of learners, one of which consisted of highly successful learners only, and a native speaker control group were rated for accent by native speakers of English. The ratings obtained by some learners were within the range of the ratings assigned to the native speaker controls. Such results suggest that it is not impossible to achieve an authentic, nativelike pronunciation of a second language after a specified biological period of time. Examination of the learning histories of the highly successful learners lead the authors to argue that certain learner characteristics and learning contexts may work together to override the disadvantages of a late start.

scholarly journals A Challenge for Contrastive L1/L2 Corpus Studies: Large Inter- and Intra-Individual Variation Across Morphological, but Not Global Syntactic Categories in Task-Based Corpus Data of a Homogeneous L1 German Group

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Shadrova ◽  
Pia Linscheid ◽  
Julia Lukassek ◽  
Anke Lüdeling ◽  
Sarah Schneider
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Frequency Distributions ◽  
Parts Of Speech ◽  
Corpus Data ◽  
The Individual

In this paper, we present corpus data that questions the concept of native speaker homogeneity as it is presumed in many studies using native speakers (L1) as a control group for learner data (L2), especially in corpus contexts. Usage-based research on second and foreign language acquisition often investigates quantitative differences between learners, and usually a group of native speakers serves as a control group, but often without elaborating on differences within this group to the same extent. We examine inter-personal differences using data from two well-controlled German native speaker corpora collected as control groups in the context of second and foreign language research. Our results suggest that certain linguistic aspects vary to an extent in the native speaker data that undermines general statements about quantitative expectations in L1. However, we also find differences between phenomena: while morphological and syntactic sub-classes of verbs and nouns show great variability in their distribution in native speaker writing, other, coarser categories, like parts of speech, or types of syntactic dependencies, behave more predictably and homogeneously. Our results highlight the necessity of accounting for inter-individual variance in native speakers where L1 is used as a target ideal for L2. They also raise theoretical questions concerning a) explanations for the divergence between phenomena, b) the role of frequency distributions of morphosyntactic phenomena in usage-based linguistic frameworks, and c) the notion of the individual adult native speaker as a general representative of the target language in language acquisition studies or language in general.

The Business of Pragmatics. The Case of Discourse Markers in The Speech of Students of Business English and English Linguistics

2011 ◽  
Vol 161 ◽  
pp. 10-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lieven Buysse
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Discourse Markers ◽  
Business English ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
Native Speech

Abstract This paper investigates how foreign language learners use discourse markers (such as so, well, you know, I mean) in English speech. These small words that do not contribute much, if anything at all, to the propositional content of a message but modify it in subtle ways, are often considered among the last elements acquired in a foreign language. This contribution reports on close scrutiny of a corpus of English-spoken interviews with Belgian native speakers of Dutch, half of whom are undergraduates majoring in Commercial Sciences and half of whom are majoring in English Linguistics, and sets it off against a comparable native speaker corpus. The investigation shows that the language learners exhibit a clear preference for “operative discourse markers” and neglect or avoid “involvement discourse markers”. It is argued that in learner speech the former take on functions typically fulfilled by the latter to a greater extent than in native speech, and that in some cases the learners revert to a code-switching strategy to cater for their pragmatic needs, bringing markers from Dutch into their English speech. Finally, questions are raised as to the place of such pragmatic devices in foreign language learning.

Tone and intonation in Mandarin babytalk to presyllabic infants: Comparison with registers of adult conversation and foreign language instruction

1991 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 481-504 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mechthild Papoušek ◽  
Shu-Fen C. Hwang
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Mandarin Chinese ◽  
Fundamental Frequency ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Role Play ◽  
Language Instruction ◽  
Foreign Language Instruction

ABSTRACTSix native speakers of Mandarin Chinese recorded 140 preselected utterances in three role-play contexts that differentially elicited registers of babytalk to presyllabic infants (BTP), foreign language instruction (FLI), and adult conversation (AC). Sound spectrograms were used to obtain 10 measures of fundamental frequency (Fo) patterns for comparisons among the three registers. In FLI, the speakers expanded Fo patterns in time and Fo range in comparison with AC. They clarified lexical tonal information and seemed to reduce suprasegmental information. In BTP, the speakers raised peak and minimum Fo, reduced the rate of Fo fluctuations, and increased the proportion of terminal rising contours. The speakers reduced, neglected, or modified lexical tonal information in favor of simplified and clarified intonation contours. The significance of the results is discussed in relation to tone acquisition in children and to a universal intuitive didactic competence in caretakers.

Second language acquisition and Binding Principle B: child/adult differences

1998 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 425-439 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lydia White
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Adult Learners ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Processing Capacity ◽  
Knowledge Processing ◽  
Pragmatic Knowledge ◽  
Value Judgement

L1 acquirers experience considerable delays in mastering properties related to Binding Principle B, performing inaccurately with respect to possible antecedents for pronouns well after the age of 6. Most accounts attribute this delay to performance phenomena (lack of pragmatic knowledge, processing capacity, etc.). In this article, I show that adult learners do not exhibit the same kinds of problems with Principle B. Intermediate-level adult learners of English as a second language (French and Japanese speakers), as well as a native-speaker control group, were tested using a truth value judgement task to determine their interpretations of pronouns. The L2 learners performed like native speakers in disallowing local antecedents for pronouns, suggesting that Principle B is not problematic in adult acquisition, in contrast to child acquisition.

Lexical and discourse factors in the second language acquisition of Spanish word order

2003 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 273-304 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tammy Jandrey Hertel
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Word Order ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Order Effects ◽  
Advanced Learners ◽  
Spanish Word ◽  
Native Speakers Of English ◽  
Beginning Learners

This study investigates the acquisition of Spanish word order by native speakers of English. Specifically, it considers the development of sensitivity to the distinct interpretations of subject-verb (SV) vs. verb-subject (VS) order, as determined by lexical verb class (unaccusative and unergative verbs) and discourse structure.Participants included a native speaker control group and learners at four proficiency levels. Results from a contextualized production task indicate that beginning learners transferred the SV order of English for all structures. Intermediate learners showed a gradual increase in the production of lexically and discourse-determined inversion, although their data was also characterized by indeterminacy and variability. The advanced learners demonstrated a sensitivity to the word order effects of unaccusativity and discourse factors, but also tended to overgeneralize inversion to unergative verbs in a neutral discourse context.

scholarly journals Training Japanese Speakers to Identify Nasal Codas of Mandarin Chinese

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 7
Author(s):  
Ruining. Yang ◽  
Hiroaki. Nanjo ◽  
Masatake. Danstuji
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Mandarin Chinese ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
High Variability ◽  
Early Research ◽  
Identification Accuracy ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Training Process ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Experimental Group

The aim of this study is to examine the effect of high variability training on “-n” and “-ng” in Mandarin Chinese. 46 Japanese native speakers who study Mandarin Chinese as a second foreign language at a university in Japan were divided into one experimental group and one control group. Participants assigned to the experimental group trained themselves using software, which was developed in our early research. Participants in the control group took Chinese lessons normally. Identification tasks (ITs) were conducted before and after the training. After 12 sessions, the average identification accuracy of nasal codas increased 7.1% (p < .05) in the experimental group, however, decreased 1.2% (p > .05) in the control group. Results of the training process prove that the training was effective for some participants, while had little effect on other participants. From the questionnaires, we found that there is a disagreement between the participants’ subjective ability to identify nasal codas and the actual identification accuracy in ITs. Participants underestimate their ability to identify “-n” and “-ng” before training and overestimate their ability to identify “-n” and “-ng” after training. We made a formula to predict the accuracy of ITs (y) in the last 4 training sessions (x): y = 2.13x2 - 2.35x + 1.23. This formula will help participants to grasp the training process and predict their identification ability.

scholarly journals Preliminary study about the rejection in the Brazilian and the Spanish cultures: external modifiers employed in email and private messages in Facebook

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 194-218
Author(s):  
Sara González Berrio ◽  
Susana Martín Leralta ◽  
Nildicéia Aparecida Rocha
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Social Distance ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Brazilian Portuguese ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Relational Power ◽  
Preliminary Study ◽  
Brazilian Students ◽  
Peninsular Spanish

This study is part of a larger research project, aimed at analyzing and comparing rejections within a corpus of emails and private Facebook messages among three groups of informants: natives speakers of Peninsular Spanish, native speakers of Brazilian Portuguese and Brazilian students of Spanish as a foreign language. The partial results presented here correspond to the piloting data of the study, carried out with the informants of the first two groups. Specifically, we provide a taxonomy of external modifiers present in rejections with different degrees of imposition, relational power, and social distance. Likewise, we analyze the use of these modifiers by Brazilian and Spanish native informants.

scholarly journals Expert-Like Use of Hedges and Boosters in Research Articles Written by Polish and English Native-Speaker Writers

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 263-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Hryniuk
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Applied Linguistics ◽  
Research Articles ◽  
Native Languages ◽  
Writing For Publication ◽  
Communicative Strategies ◽  
Text Features ◽  
English Native Speaker

The present study compares the use of main interpersonal metadiscourse markers - hedges and boosters - in a corpus of 40 research articles from the area of applied linguistics, written in English by native speakers and Polish writers. Used as communicative strategies, these words and expressions increase (boosters) or reduce (hedges) the force of arguments. In order to gain an in-depth insight and to achieve greater precision, in the analysis the author utilizes a concordance tool WordSmith 6.0 (Scott 2012). The results point to important discrepancies in the usage of these text features by authors representing different native languages and cultures. The study has important implications for developing competence in writing for publication in English as a Foreign Language.

scholarly journals Probing rhythmic patterns in English-L2: a preliminary study on vowel reduction by Brazilian learners at different ages

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronaldo Mangueira Lima Jr ◽  
Guilherme Duarte Garcia
Keyword(s):  
Native Speakers ◽  
Brazilian Portuguese ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Vowel Reduction ◽  
Advanced Learners ◽  
Initial Exposure ◽  
Formal Instruction ◽  
Native Speakers Of English ◽  
Categorical Classification ◽  
Preliminary Study

Languages are traditionally classified as mora-timed, syllable-timed or stress-timed in relation to their rhythmic patterns. The distinction between syllable-timed and stress-timed languages, however, lacks solid evidence in the literature. Syllable-timed languages typically have similar duration across unstressed and stressed syllables, whereas stress-timed languages tend to have similar inter-stress intervals, and unstressed syllables are shorter than stressed syllables. According to this categorical classification, English is a stress-timed language, thus having more reduction in unstressed vowels. Brazilian Portuguese, on the other hand, is typically classified as syllable-timed, and thus has little reduction of unstressed vowels. If these categorical rhythmic differences are correct, then acquiring the rhythmic patterns of English should be a challenging task to Brazilian learners, who are not expected to produce unstressed vowels with asmuch reduction as English native speakers. However, recent studies have found that the typology of rhythm is best understood as not categorical, but rather gradient, and that Brazilian Portuguese has a mixed classification, with more stress timing than would be expected from a traditional and categorical perspective. We therefore hypothesize that Brazilian learners of English should not have major difficulties reducing unstressed vowels, even when exposed to the second language later in life. To test this hypothesis, we analyze production data of native speakers of English (control group) and two groups of Brazilian advanced learners of English who differ in their age of initial exposure to formal instruction. The results show that neither group of learners is credibly different from the control group, which is consistent with the hypothesis that the mixed rhythm present in Brazilian Portuguese in fact facilitates the acquisition of the rhythmic patterns of English, a stress-timed language, at least in terms of unstressed vowel reduction.

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