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Prosody in second language acquisition

Acoustic analyses of duration and F0 range
  • Katsura Aoyama and Susan G. Guion
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Language Experience in Second Language Speech Learning
This chapter is in the book Language Experience in Second Language Speech Learning

Abstract

This study investigated prosodic aspects of native and non-native (native Japanese, NJ) speech in American English. Since Japanese is characterized as mora-timed and English as stress-timed, it was hypothesized that durational contrasts among syllables in English spoken by NJ speakers may not be as large as those in native speech. In addition, it was hypothesized that a wider fundamental frequency (F0) range may be found in utterances produced by NJ speakers than in native speech, because NJ speakers may rely on F0 to indicate stress due to pitch accent in Japanese. The participants were NJ adults and children (16 each), and age-matched native English (NE) adults and children (16 each). They repeated ten phrases/sentences after a model. Durations of each syllable and the whole utterance were measured, and the F0 range in each syllable and the whole utterance was calculated in semitones for three out of the ten phrases/sentences. The results indicated that absolute durations of syllables and utterances tended to be longer in the NJ speakers’ utterances than in the NE speakers’. Children’s utterances (NE and NJ combined) also tended to be longer than adults’. The F0 range was larger in the NJ speakers’ utterances than in the NE speakers’ in one target sentence. In addition, it was found that the duration of function words was proportionately longer in the NJ speakers’ utterances than in the NE speakers’ and that the F0 range was greater in the NJ adult speakers’ utterances than the NE adult speakers’ in content words. The results of this study partially support the hypothesis that NJ speakers rely on pitch difference to indicate stress in English. It is also possible that function words were not as reduced in nonnative speech as in native speech. Differences were found between adults and children, indicating that there may be developmental changes in prosodic aspects.

Abstract

This study investigated prosodic aspects of native and non-native (native Japanese, NJ) speech in American English. Since Japanese is characterized as mora-timed and English as stress-timed, it was hypothesized that durational contrasts among syllables in English spoken by NJ speakers may not be as large as those in native speech. In addition, it was hypothesized that a wider fundamental frequency (F0) range may be found in utterances produced by NJ speakers than in native speech, because NJ speakers may rely on F0 to indicate stress due to pitch accent in Japanese. The participants were NJ adults and children (16 each), and age-matched native English (NE) adults and children (16 each). They repeated ten phrases/sentences after a model. Durations of each syllable and the whole utterance were measured, and the F0 range in each syllable and the whole utterance was calculated in semitones for three out of the ten phrases/sentences. The results indicated that absolute durations of syllables and utterances tended to be longer in the NJ speakers’ utterances than in the NE speakers’. Children’s utterances (NE and NJ combined) also tended to be longer than adults’. The F0 range was larger in the NJ speakers’ utterances than in the NE speakers’ in one target sentence. In addition, it was found that the duration of function words was proportionately longer in the NJ speakers’ utterances than in the NE speakers’ and that the F0 range was greater in the NJ adult speakers’ utterances than the NE adult speakers’ in content words. The results of this study partially support the hypothesis that NJ speakers rely on pitch difference to indicate stress in English. It is also possible that function words were not as reduced in nonnative speech as in native speech. Differences were found between adults and children, indicating that there may be developmental changes in prosodic aspects.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Dedication ix
  4. Alphabetical List of Contributors xi
  5. Acknowledgments xv
  6. Biographical Note xvii
  7. PART I: The nature of L2 speech learning
  8. The study of second language speech learning 3
  9. Nonnative and second-language speech perception 13
  10. Cross-language phonetic similarity of vowels 35
  11. Investigating the role of attention in phonetic learning 57
  12. You are what you eat phonetically 79
  13. PART II: The concept of foreign accent
  14. Nativelike pronunciation among late learners of French as a second language 99
  15. Second language acquisition of a regional dialect of American English by native Japanese speakers 117
  16. Acoustic variability and perceptual learning 135
  17. PART III: Consonants and vowels
  18. Strategies for Realization of L2-Categories 153
  19. Temporal remnants from Mandarin in nonnative English speech 167
  20. Cross-language consonant identification 185
  21. The relationship between identification and discrimination in cross-language perception 201
  22. PART IV: Beyond consonants and vowels
  23. Music and language learning 221
  24. Behavioral and cortical effects of learning a second language 239
  25. The perception of tones and phones 259
  26. Prosody in second language acquisition 281
  27. PART V: Emerging issues
  28. Implications of James E. Flege’s research for the foreign language classroom 301
  29. Speech learning, lexical reorganization, and the development of word recognition by native and non-native English speakers 315
  30. Phonemic errors in different word positions and their effects on intelligibility of non-native speech 331
  31. The graphical basis of phones and phonemes 349
  32. References 367
  33. Author Index 399
  34. Subject Index 405
https://doi.org/10.1075/lllt.17.24aoy

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Dedication ix
  4. Alphabetical List of Contributors xi
  5. Acknowledgments xv
  6. Biographical Note xvii
  7. PART I: The nature of L2 speech learning
  8. The study of second language speech learning 3
  9. Nonnative and second-language speech perception 13
  10. Cross-language phonetic similarity of vowels 35
  11. Investigating the role of attention in phonetic learning 57
  12. You are what you eat phonetically 79
  13. PART II: The concept of foreign accent
  14. Nativelike pronunciation among late learners of French as a second language 99
  15. Second language acquisition of a regional dialect of American English by native Japanese speakers 117
  16. Acoustic variability and perceptual learning 135
  17. PART III: Consonants and vowels
  18. Strategies for Realization of L2-Categories 153
  19. Temporal remnants from Mandarin in nonnative English speech 167
  20. Cross-language consonant identification 185
  21. The relationship between identification and discrimination in cross-language perception 201
  22. PART IV: Beyond consonants and vowels
  23. Music and language learning 221
  24. Behavioral and cortical effects of learning a second language 239
  25. The perception of tones and phones 259
  26. Prosody in second language acquisition 281
  27. PART V: Emerging issues
  28. Implications of James E. Flege’s research for the foreign language classroom 301
  29. Speech learning, lexical reorganization, and the development of word recognition by native and non-native English speakers 315
  30. Phonemic errors in different word positions and their effects on intelligibility of non-native speech 331
  31. The graphical basis of phones and phonemes 349
  32. References 367
  33. Author Index 399
  34. Subject Index 405
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