scholarly journals Limitations of the influence of English phonetics and phonology on L2 Spanish rhotics

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 313 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Kevin Olsen

This study investigates L2 Spanish rhotic production in intermediate learners of Spanish, specifically addressing the duration of the influence of L1 English rhotic articulations and a phonetic environment involving English taps on the acquisition of Spanish taps and trills that Olsen (2012) found. Results from multiple linear regressions involving thirty-five students in Spanish foreign language classes show that the effect of English rhotic articulations evident in beginners has disappeared after four semesters of Spanish study. However, results from paired samples t-tests show that these more advanced learners produced accurate taps significantly more in words containing phonetic environments that produce taps in English. This effect is taken as evidence that L1 phonetic influences have a shorter duration on L2 production than do L1 phonological influences. These results provide insights into L2 rhotic acquisition which Spanish educators and students can use to formulate reasonable pronunciation expectations. 

2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 233-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Cabrelli Amaro

This study tests the hypothesis that late first-language English / second-language Spanish learners (L1 English / L2 Spanish learners) acquire spirantization in stages according to the prosodic hierarchy (Zampini, 1997, 1998). In Spanish, voiced stops [b d g] surface after a pause or nasal stop, and continuants [β̞ ð̞ ɣ̞] surface postvocalically, among other contexts. We adopt an Optimality Theoretic analysis of the phenomenon that assumes that postvocalic continuants surface due to the ranking of prosodic positional faithfulness constraints below a markedness constraint that prohibits stops in postvocalic position. L1 English speakers are presumed to start with a ranking in which prosodic positional faithfulness outranks the markedness constraint. In line with the Gradual Learning Algorithm (Boersma and Hayes, 2001), gradual demotion of the relevant faithfulness constraints is predicted in L2 Spanish, extending the prosodic domain until continuants surface postvocalically across domains. A cross-section of 44 L1 English / L2 Spanish learners and a control group ( n = 5) completed a recitation task, and data were analysed acoustically for manner of articulation and degree of constriction. Results partially align with Zampini’s impressionistic data: Learners first produce underlying stops as postvocalic approximants at the onset of the syllable (word-medial position), followed by the onset of the prosodic word (word-initial position). Unlike Zampini’s findings, there is no evidence for an intermediate stage of acquisition across the boundary of a word and its clitic. Advanced L2 learners produce continuants in postvocalic position at all applicable prosodic levels, which we take to indicate acquisition of the target ranking. We also examined whether learners’ postvocalic continuants are lenited to the same degree as the control group, and whether degree of lenition changes across development. The difference in degree of lenition between controls and learners lessens at higher levels of the prosodic hierarchy as acquisition progresses, and several advanced learners produce target-like segments across prosodic levels.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Stefanich ◽  
Jennifer Cabrelli

This study examines whether L1 English/L2 Spanish learners at different proficiency levels acquire a novel L2 phoneme, the Spanish palatal nasal /ɲ/. While alveolar /n/ is part of the Spanish and English inventories, /ɲ/, which consists of a tautosyllabic palatal nasal+glide element, is not. This crosslinguistic disparity presents potential difficulty for L1 English speakers due to L1 segmental and phonotactic constraints; the closest English approximation is the heterosyllabic sequence /nj/ (e.g., “canyon” /kænjn/ ['khæn.jn], cf. Spanish cañón “canyon” /kaɲon/ [ka.'ɲon]). With these crosslinguistic differences in mind, we ask: (1a) Do L1 English learners of L2 Spanish produce acoustically distinct Spanish /n/ and /ɲ/ and (1b) Does the distinction of /n/ and /ɲ/ vary by proficiency? In the case that learners distinguish /n/ and /ɲ/, the second question investigates the acoustic quality of /ɲ/ to determine (2a) if learners' L2 representation patterns with that of an L1 Spanish representation or if learners rely on an L1 representation (here, English /nj/) and (2b) if the acoustic quality of L2 Spanish /ɲ/ varies as a function of proficiency. Beginner (n = 9) and advanced (n = 8) L1 English/L2 Spanish speakers and a comparison group of 10 L1 Spanish/L2 English speakers completed delayed repetition tasks in which disyllabic nonce words were produced in a carrier phrase. English critical items contained an intervocalic heterosyllabic /nj/ sequence (e.g., ['phan.jə]); Spanish critical items consisted of items with either intervocalic onset /ɲ/ (e.g., ['xa.ɲa]) or /n/ ['xa.na]. We measured duration and formant contours of the following vocalic portion as acoustic indices of the /n/~/ɲ/ and /ɲ/ ~/nj/ distinctions. Results show that, while L2 Spanish learners produce an acoustically distinct /n/ ~ /ɲ/ contrast even at a low level of proficiency, the beginners produce an intermediate /ɲ/ that falls acoustically between their English /nj/ and the L1 Spanish /ɲ/ while the advanced learners' Spanish /ɲ/ and English /nj/ appear to be in the process of equivalence classification. We discuss these outcomes as they relate to the robustness of L1 phonological constraints in late L2 acquisition coupled with the role of perceptual cues, functional load, and questions of intelligibility.


Author(s):  
Arif Fajar Wibisono ◽  
Yudha Catur Kusuma N

This study aims to determine whether perceptions of corruption and organizational climate affect the compliance of personal taxpayers. This explanatory study used quantitative approach of statistical parametric test and multiple linear regressions with questionnaire instrument. This study involved personal taxpayer in the area of KPP Pratama Kota Surakarta. The result of this study confirms that the perceptions of individual tax corruption and organizational climate affect the compliance of personal taxpayers. The better the organization’s climate in emphasizing tax compliance is, the higher the level of compliance personal taxpayers is. In addition, the higher the level of perception of a person’s corruption of the tax apparatus is severely punished then increasing the compliance of personal taxpayers’ increases.


2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Balčiūnaitienė Asta ◽  
Teresevičienė Margarita

Abstract The article aims to emphasize the role of foreign language teaching in fostering sustainable development competence in higher education. Foreign language classes enable students to analyze actual topics about sustainable development, to discuss problems, to share personal emotions and experiences. English as a foreign language curriculum aims to build students’ basic language communicative skills with the focus on sustainability, communication for the enhancement of sustainable development competence. The present paper aims to analyze the correlation of sustainable development competence between English as a foreign language studies in the system of higher education. The article overviews the importance of the sustainable development competence development on the theoretical level as well as introduces the practices of the importance of sustainable development competence elements in foreign language classes on the empirical level. The research was planned and performed in 5 universities of Lithuania, in which the respondents studying English (average age of participants was 22 years old) expressed their opinions on the sustainable development topics and usefulness of sustainable development competence. The results of the research demonstrate that students are more engaged in topics and materials on sustainable development and it is challenging for pedagogues to constantly update their materials, to apply innovative English as a foreign language teaching strategies related to sustainable development in foreign language classroom. Therefore, the research findings with the embedded elements for sustainable development competence development encourage educators to search for innovative ways of English as a foreign language teaching in higher education.


Author(s):  
Л.Н. Крячко

Постановка задачи. Изучение предмета «Иностранный язык» в техническом университете предполагает усвоение обучающимися терминологической лексики в соответствии с выбранной специальностью. Опыт преподавания показывает, что студенты испытывают трудности, связанные с запоминанием терминологических единиц и употреблением их в речи. Использование на занятиях по иностранному языку приема обучения терминологической лексике посредством опоры на внутреннюю форму данных лексических единиц позволяет оптимизировать процесс усвоения обучающимися специальных терминов. Результаты. Проведенное исследование дает основание утверждать, что анализ внутренней формы образованных семантическим способом англоязычных терминов специальности «Автомобильные дороги» позволяет выявить деривационно-ассоциативную связь терминологических единиц с лексикой общенационального языка, послужившей основой для вторичной номинации. Данные лексические единицы в большинстве случаев представляют собой хорошо знакомые студентам слова, обозначающие части тела человека и объекты, находящиеся в его близком окружении : одежду, посуду, инструменты, явления природы, представителей животного мира и т.д. Выводы. Ознакомление студентов дорожно-строительной специальности с внутренней формой изучаемых англоязычных терминов, выявление ассоциативных связей терминологических единиц со знакомыми студентам и широкоупотребительными словами общенационального языка, а также выполнение в аудитории специально разработанных тренировочных упражнений помогают снять трудности усвоения обучающимися терминологической лексики и облегчают ее запоминание. Statement of the problem. The study of the “Foreign Language” subject at a technical university involves students’ learning the terminology in accordance with the chosen specialty. The teaching practice shows that students experience the difficulties associated with memorising terminological units and using them in the speech. Applying the method of teaching the terminology based on the internal form of these lexical units at foreign language classes makes it possible to optimise the process of learning special terms by students. Results. The research that has been carried out gives reason to argue that the analysis of the internal form of the English “Automobile roads” specialty terms created in the semantic way makes it possible to reveal the derivational and associative relations of the terminological units with the national language words which served as the basis for the secondary nomination. In most cases, these lexical units are the words that are well known by the students and indicate the parts of man’s body and the objects that are present in man’s immediate environment: clothing, dishes, tools, phenomena of the nature, representatives of the animal world, etc. Conclusion. Introducing the internal form of the studied English terms to the road construction specialty students, identifying the associative relations of the terminological units with the well known to the students and widely used words of the national language, fulfilling the specially developed training exercises in the classroom help the students to overcome the difficulties of learning the terminology and to facilitate its memorization.


2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte Stormbom

AbstractA much-debated issue in English is the use of “epicene pronouns”, i.e. third-person singular pronouns of indeterminate gender. Previous studies have shown that singular they is the most common epicene in L1 English, but this pronoun has not received much attention in studies of L2 use. The present study extends previous research by examining variation between L2 groups in the distribution of epicene pronouns, focussing particularly on the use of singular they and how it is affected by three features of the antecedent: definiteness, notional number, and gender expectancy. The data originate in an elicitation experiment, which was completed by 338 university students of English from eight L1 backgrounds. The results show that singular they was most frequently used with notionally plural antecedents, whereas it was least common with gender-stereotyped antecedents. The study also disclosed variation between learners: In some L1 groups, they was used frequently with all types of antecedents, suggesting that these learners perceive singular they as a singular pronoun in its own right. In other groups, singular they appeared to function mostly as a modification of the plural they, as the pronoun was only frequent with notionally plural antecedents. The findings have important implications for language teaching.


2021 ◽  
Vol 1962 (1) ◽  
pp. 012043
Author(s):  
N Haris ◽  
A K Junoh ◽  
W Z A Wan Muhamad

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