LINGUIST List 15.227

Thu Jan 22 2004

Diss: Phonetics: Mu�oz S�nchez: 'The Effect of...'

Editor for this issue: Takako Matsui <takolinguistlist.org>

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  • amunoz, The Effect of Phonological Status on the Acquisition of New Contrasts

    Message 1: The Effect of Phonological Status on the Acquisition of New Contrasts

     Date: Wed, 21 Jan 2004 14:09:04 -0500 (EST)
    From: amunoz <amunozcsusm.edu>
    Subject: The Effect of Phonological Status on the Acquisition of New Contrasts


    Institution: University of California, San Diego Program: Linguistics Department Dissertation Status: Completed Degree Date: 2003

    Author: Alicia Munoz S�nchez

    Dissertation Title: The Effect of Phonological Status on the Acquisition of New Contrasts: Evidence from Spanish and Japanese L2 Learners of English

    Linguistic Field: Phonetics, Phonology, Language Acquisition Subject Language: Japanese (code: JPN) Spanish (code: SPN)

    Subject Language Family: Japanese Family,(code: JP), Romance, (code:IEJAAA)

    Dissertation Director 1: Sharon Rose Dissertation Director 2: Eric Bakovic Dissertation Director 3: Vic Ferreira Dissertation Director 4: Robert Kluender

    Dissertation Abstract:

    This dissertation examines the effect of first language (L1) allophonic variants on the perception and production of second language (L2) contrasts. Some studies on L2 perception of L2 speech have claimed that the presence of L1 allophones should help with the discrimination of L2 contrasts. This dissertation provides evidence from perceptual experiments that L1 allophones do not facilitate the perceptual acquisition of L2 contrasts. In addition, the effects of L1 allophones are investigated in the production of L2 phonemes, since no L2 production studies have directly examined this effect. It is shown that L2 phonemes that are allophonic in L1 are difficult to learn.

    The perceptual and production experiments in this dissertation test the acquisition of English coronal contrasts by Japanese speakers and by three groups of Spanish speakers (Northwestern Mexican Spanish, Castilian, and Andalusian Spanish). In the perceptual experiments AXB tasks were used to test the subjects' ability to perceptually discriminate English coronal contrasts in words and nonsense words and within different syllabic positions. In the production experiment, words produced by English L2 learners were transcribed to determine the impact of L1 allophony in the articulation of English coronal consonants. The results from the experiments are compared with the predictions of current L2 speech perception and production models, suggesting that introducing the notion of allophone in these models is important because it predicts perceptual and production difficulties with respect to other L2 segments and their relationship in L1. Perceptual models have argued that L2 sounds are mapped onto different assimilation patterns depending on how perceptually close the L2 sounds are to those in L1. Perceptual testing in these models is necessary to determine the 'perceptual similarity' between L1 and L2 sounds. The L1 allophone provides a way to map a pattern of perceptual similarity without the need for perceptual testing. In addition, the perceptual studies show that the ability to discriminate non-native contrasts is acquired early on, that it does not change over time and also that L2 production abilities follow perceptual abilities. Error patterns in L2 production are determined by both L1 and the individual speaker.