Walcir Cardoso

The Influence of Language Distance and Language Status on the Acquisition of L3 Phonology.

Abstract Research in the field of third language acquisition has consistently identified two key factors which have an effect on the ways in which the two known languages may influence the acquisition of a third. These factors are language distance (typology) and language status (more specifically, second language, L2, or non-native language status). To date, however, the findings have not been conclusive regarding whether one of the two factors has a greater influence than the other. In this study, we investigated whether L2 status or typology would be the stronger predictor in the selection of a source language for phonological influence in L3 acquisition. Two groups of learners of Spanish as an L3, one with English L1 and French L2, the other with French L1 and English L2, were recorded reading word lists containing voiceless stops in onset, stressed position. Paired-samples t-tests were used to compare the rates of presence (English-influenced) or absence (French-influenced) of aspiration (operationalised as voice onset time values). Results point to L2 status as the determining factor in the selection of a source language for the production of voiceless stops in stressed onset position in L3 Spanish for both groups.

The development of coda perception in second language phonology: A variationist perspective

Within a variationist approach for data collection and analysis, this study investigates the acquisition in perception of post-vocalic word-final stops (codas) by speakers of Brazilian Portuguese learning English as a foreign language in a classroom environment. Because codas are illicit in this variety of Portuguese, the hypothesis holds that learners will process this foreign structure as followed by an illusory epenthetic vowel, [i], a manifestation of ‘perceptual foreign accent’. In a forced-choice phone identification task, 51 participants listened to series of English pseudowords and then decided on whether each word ended in a consonant or in a vowel. The statistical results of the experiment indicate that codas are more likely to be perceived in the following cases: (1) in more advanced levels of proficiency, (2) in the context of segments that belong to the class of coronals [t d] and labials [p b], and (3) when the coda consonant is preceded by a lax vowel. The latter as well as the non-significant word size factor contradict the results established in the investigation of the production of this syllabic constituent. To some extent, the results obtained show a correlation between speech perception and production, and support the view that perception precedes production in the development of second language codas.

The pedagogical use of mobile speech synthesis (TTS): focus on French liaison

ABSTRACT We examine the impact of the pedagogical use of mobile TTS on the L2 acquisition of French liaison, a process by which a word-final consonant is pronounced at the beginning of the following word if the latter is vowel-initial (e.g. peti/t.a/mi = > peti[ta]mi ‘boyfriend’). The study compares three groups of L2 French students learning how to produce liaison over a two-month period, following a pretest-posttests design within a mixed-methods approach to data collection and analysis. Participants were divided into three groups: (1) the TTS Group used a TTS application on their mobile devices to complete weekly pronunciation tasks consisting of noticing, listen-and-categorize, and listen-and-repeat; (2) the Non-TTS Group completed the same weekly pronunciation tasks in weekly sessions with a teacher; finally, (3) the Control Group participated in weekly meetings ‘to practice their conversation skills’ with a teacher, who provided no pronunciation feedback. The results indicate that, although all three groups improved in liaison production, if considered separately (within groups), only the two experimental groups improved over time. The discussion of our findings highlights the pedagogical use of mobile TTS technology to complement and enhance the teaching of L2 pronunciation.

Teaching English Phonetics with a Learner Response System

Learner Response Systems (or clickers) have existed for over four decades (Judson & Sawada, 2002); however, only recently have they received careful consideration as tools to promote learning, particularly in large classrooms (Caldwell, 2007). Surprisingly, clickers are rarely used in the L2 classroom and, more surprisingly, the topic has not received careful attention from the L2 research community (Cardoso, 2011, 2013). This paper reports the results of an experimental study following a pretest–posttest design which aimed to examine (1) the effectiveness of teaching L2 English phonetics with clickers, and (2) the perceptions of Polish students towards the use of clickers in phonetics teaching. Fifty-six English majors studying at the University of Wroclaw (Poland) participated in the study. While one group was taught the rules governing English lexical stress and differences between RP and GA with the use of clickers (Clicker Group), the other was presented the same content through PowerPoint (No-Clicker Group). The quantitative analysis of the data showed that in two cases (competence and recognition of RP/GA accents) the differences in progress made by the two groups were statistically significant. Moreover, the Clicker Group outperformed the No-Clicker Group in all but one of the tests included in the study. Regarding the learners’ perception of the use of clickers in phonetics classes, the qualitative data (obtained via written open questions, questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and class observations) revealed that learners perceive the technology as beneficial, as it provides an anxiety-free, interesting, exciting learning experience. Notably, it encourages involvement and active participation in the class, thus leading to better retention of the material. Despite the observed weaknesses (e.g., lack of personalized feedback), most participants stated that they would like clickers to be used systematically in their phonetics and other classes.

LONGITUDINAL CHANGES IN THE USE OF PARATONES IN L2 ENGLISH SPEECH BY MANDARIN SPEAKERS

First language (L1) English speakers have been observed to organize their oral discourse into macro-units analogous to paragraphs in writing. These units, called paratones (BROWN, 1977) or phonological paragraphs (TENCH, 1996; THOMPSON, 2003), are characterized by extra high pitch at the beginning of a new discourse topic (YULE, 1980). The present study investigated how seven second language (L2) graduate students’ use of paratones developed naturalistically during their first six months immersed in an L2 environment. The participants, all L1 speakers of Mandarin, were recorded delivering four short academic presentations at approximately two-month intervals. Presentations given by two native English speakers were also analyzed for comparison. Overall, the L2 participants’ pitch peaks at topic shifts were considerably less prominent than those observed in the native-speaker data. Only one participant’s use of paratones seemed to change over time, showing improvement from the beginning to the end of the study.