Home Linguistics & Semiotics Acquisition of Lebanese Arabic and Yorkshire English /l/ by bilingual and monolingual children
Chapter
Licensed
Unlicensed Requires Authentication

Acquisition of Lebanese Arabic and Yorkshire English /l/ by bilingual and monolingual children

A comparative spectrographic study
  • Ghada Khattab
View more publications by John Benjamins Publishing Company
To Publisher Page
Instrumental Studies in Arabic Phonetics
This chapter is in the book Instrumental Studies in Arabic Phonetics

Abstract

This study presents data from auditory and acoustic analyses of /l/ in the production of a total of 23 English and Arabic monolingual and bilingual children and adults. /l/ production in each language is described, taking into account the varieties produced in the subjects’ environment and also developmental patterns of /l/ acquisition normally found in monolingual and bilingual children. Results suggest that English and Arabic vary not only in the phonotactic rules governing the occurrence of clear and dark /l/s in each of the languages, but also in the actual realisation of what counts as ‘clear’ in each language. On the other hand, ‘dark’ variants seem to have similar acoustic manifestations in the two languages, suggesting variable pharyngealisation in both. Bilingual children show language-appropriate distributions of clear and dark allophones but do not show any sign of having acquired the subtle differences in the realisation of the clear variants particular to each language.

Abstract

This study presents data from auditory and acoustic analyses of /l/ in the production of a total of 23 English and Arabic monolingual and bilingual children and adults. /l/ production in each language is described, taking into account the varieties produced in the subjects’ environment and also developmental patterns of /l/ acquisition normally found in monolingual and bilingual children. Results suggest that English and Arabic vary not only in the phonotactic rules governing the occurrence of clear and dark /l/s in each of the languages, but also in the actual realisation of what counts as ‘clear’ in each language. On the other hand, ‘dark’ variants seem to have similar acoustic manifestations in the two languages, suggesting variable pharyngealisation in both. Bilingual children show language-appropriate distributions of clear and dark allophones but do not show any sign of having acquired the subtle differences in the realisation of the clear variants particular to each language.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Acknowledgements vii
  4. List of contributors ix
  5. Transliteration and transcription symbols for Arabic xi
  6. Introduction 1
  7. Part I. Issues in syntagmatic structure
  8. Preliminary study of Moroccan Arabic word-initial consonant clusters and syllabification using electromagnetic articulography 29
  9. An acoustic phonetic study of quantity and quantity complementarity in Swedish and Iraqi Arabic 47
  10. Assimilation of /l/ to /r/ in Syrian Arabic 63
  11. Part II. Guttural consonants
  12. A study of the laryngeal and pharyngeal consonants in Jordanian Arabic using nasoendoscopy, videofluoroscopy and spectrography 101
  13. A phonetic study of guttural laryngeals in Palestinian Arabic using laryngoscopic and acoustic analysis 129
  14. Airflow and acoustic modelling of pharyngeal and uvular consonants in Moroccan Arabic 141
  15. Part III. Emphasis and coronal consonants
  16. Nasoendoscopic, videofluoroscopic and acoustic study of plain and emphatic coronals in Jordanian Arabic 165
  17. Acoustic and electromagnetic articulographic study of pharyngealisation 193
  18. Investigating the emphatic feature in Iraqi Arabic 217
  19. Glottalisation and neutralisation in Yemeni Arabic and Mehri 235
  20. The phonetics of localising uvularisation in Ammani-Jordanian Arabic 257
  21. EMA, endoscopic, ultrasound and acoustic study of two secondary articulations in Moroccan Arabic 277
  22. Part IV. Intonation and acquisition
  23. Acoustic cues to focus and givenness in Egyptian Arabic 301
  24. Acquisition of Lebanese Arabic and Yorkshire English /l/ by bilingual and monolingual children 325
  25. Appendix 355
  26. Index 359
https://doi.org/10.1075/cilt.319.15kha

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Acknowledgements vii
  4. List of contributors ix
  5. Transliteration and transcription symbols for Arabic xi
  6. Introduction 1
  7. Part I. Issues in syntagmatic structure
  8. Preliminary study of Moroccan Arabic word-initial consonant clusters and syllabification using electromagnetic articulography 29
  9. An acoustic phonetic study of quantity and quantity complementarity in Swedish and Iraqi Arabic 47
  10. Assimilation of /l/ to /r/ in Syrian Arabic 63
  11. Part II. Guttural consonants
  12. A study of the laryngeal and pharyngeal consonants in Jordanian Arabic using nasoendoscopy, videofluoroscopy and spectrography 101
  13. A phonetic study of guttural laryngeals in Palestinian Arabic using laryngoscopic and acoustic analysis 129
  14. Airflow and acoustic modelling of pharyngeal and uvular consonants in Moroccan Arabic 141
  15. Part III. Emphasis and coronal consonants
  16. Nasoendoscopic, videofluoroscopic and acoustic study of plain and emphatic coronals in Jordanian Arabic 165
  17. Acoustic and electromagnetic articulographic study of pharyngealisation 193
  18. Investigating the emphatic feature in Iraqi Arabic 217
  19. Glottalisation and neutralisation in Yemeni Arabic and Mehri 235
  20. The phonetics of localising uvularisation in Ammani-Jordanian Arabic 257
  21. EMA, endoscopic, ultrasound and acoustic study of two secondary articulations in Moroccan Arabic 277
  22. Part IV. Intonation and acquisition
  23. Acoustic cues to focus and givenness in Egyptian Arabic 301
  24. Acquisition of Lebanese Arabic and Yorkshire English /l/ by bilingual and monolingual children 325
  25. Appendix 355
  26. Index 359
Sign up now to receive a 20% welcome discount
Institutional Access
How does access work?
Have an idea on how to improve our website?
Please write us.
© 2025 De Gruyter Brill
Downloaded on 29.12.2025 from https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1075/cilt.319.15kha/html
Scroll to top button