scholarly journals Short-Term Sources of Cross-Linguistic Phonetic Influence: Examining the Role of Linguistic Environment

Languages ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 43
Author(s):  
Daniel J. Olson
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Acoustic Analysis ◽  
Voice Onset Time ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Onset Time ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
English Dominant ◽  
L1 English

While previous research has shown that bilinguals are able to effectively maintain two sets of phonetic norms, these two phonetic systems experience varying degrees of cross-linguistic influence, driven by both long-term (e.g., proficiency, immersion) and short-term (e.g., bilingual language contexts, code-switching, sociolinguistic) factors. This study examines the potential for linguistic environment, or the language norms of the broader community in which an interaction takes place, to serve as a source of short-term cross-linguistic phonetic influence. To investigate the role of linguistic environment, late bilinguals (L1 English—L2 Spanish) produced Spanish utterances in two sessions that differed in their linguistic environments: an English-dominant linguistic environment (Indiana, USA) and a Spanish-dominant linguistic environment (Madrid, Spain). Productions were analyzed at the fine-grained acoustic level, through an acoustic analysis of voice onset time, as well as more holistically through native speaker global accent ratings. Results showed that linguistic environment did not significantly impact either measure of phonetic production, regardless of a speaker’s second language proficiency. These results, in conjunction with previous results on long- and short-term sources of phonetic influence, suggest a possible primacy of the immediate context of an interaction, rather than broader community norms, in determining language mode and cross-linguistic influence.

scholarly journals Interlingual Interactions Elicit Performance Mismatches Not “Compromise” Categories in Early Bilinguals: Evidence from Meta-Analysis and Coronal Stops

Languages ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 9
Author(s):  
Joseph V. Casillas
Keyword(s):  
Speech Production ◽  
Acoustic Analysis ◽  
Voice Onset Time ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Onset Time ◽  
Comprehensive Assessment ◽  
Effect Sizes ◽  
Experimental Task ◽  
Cumulative Evidence

Previous studies attest that some early bilinguals produce the sounds of their languages in a manner that is characterized as “compromise” with regard to monolingual speakers. The present study uses meta-analytic techniques and coronal stop data from early bilinguals in order to assess this claim. The goal was to evaluate the cumulative evidence for “compromise” voice-onset time (VOT) in the speech of early bilinguals by providing a comprehensive assessment of the literature and presenting an acoustic analysis of coronal stops from early Spanish–English bilinguals. The studies were coded for linguistic and methodological features, as well as effect sizes, and then analyzed using a cross-classified Bayesian meta-analysis. The pooled effect for “compromise” VOT was negligible (β = −0.13). The acoustic analysis of the coronal stop data showed that the early Spanish–English bilinguals often produced Spanish and English targets with mismatched features from their other language. These performance mismatches presumably occurred as a result of interlingual interactions elicited by the experimental task. Taken together, the results suggest that early bilinguals do not have “compromise” VOT, though their speech involves dynamic phonetic interactions that can surface as performance mismatches during speech production.

Do bilingual and monolingual preschoolers acquire false belief understanding similarly? The role of executive functioning and language

2018 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 382-398 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa Diaz ◽  
M. Jeffrey Farrar
Keyword(s):  
Executive Functioning ◽  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Language Ability ◽  
False Belief ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
Short Term ◽  
False Belief Understanding

Bilingual children often show advanced executive functioning (EF) and false belief (FB) understanding compared to monolinguals. The latter has been attributed to their enhanced inhibitory control EF, although this has only been examined in a single study which did not confirm this hypothesis. The current study examined the relation of EF and language proficiency on FB reasoning in bilingual and monolingual preschoolers to answer two questions: (1) Are there differences in bilinguals’ and monolinguals’ FB, language proficiency, and EF? If so, (2) is there a differential role for language proficiency and EF in predicting FB reasoning in these two groups? Thirty-two Spanish–English bilinguals and 33 English monolinguals (three to five years old) were compared. While monolinguals outperformed bilinguals on language proficiency, after controlling for this, bilinguals outperformed monolinguals on FB reasoning, and marginally on EF. General language ability was related to FB performance in both groups, while short-term memory and inhibitory control predicted FB only for monolinguals.

‘A gup of dea, please’

2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 252-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eltje Beckmann
Keyword(s):  
Picture Naming ◽  
Acoustic Analysis ◽  
Voice Onset Time ◽  
Onset Time ◽  
Naming Task ◽  
The Other ◽  
Frequent Users ◽  
Crosslinguistic Influence

Although crosslinguistic influence (CLI) in voice onset time (VOT) production is a widely studied phenomenon (e.g. Flege, 1987), few studies look at more than two languages. This study examines the production of word-initial stops in Dutch, English and German by two groups of German L3 learners of Dutch: frequent and less frequent L3 users. The aim was to uncover evidence for CLI between Dutch and English/German by employing a picture-naming task. An acoustic analysis revealed that the frequent users produced significantly shorter voiceless stops and more prevoicing in English than the other groups did. However, all participants produced native VOTs in German, indicating that the L1 is not affected.

Voice-onset Time and Tone-onset Time: The Role of Criterion-setting Mechanisms in Categorical Perception

1995 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 334-366 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michel Treisman ◽  
Andrew Faulkner ◽  
Peter L. N. Naish ◽  
Burton S. Rosner
Keyword(s):  
Signal Detection Theory ◽  
Categorical Perception ◽  
Voice Onset Time ◽  
Onset Time ◽  
Tone Onset ◽  
Sequential Dependencies ◽  
Setting Theory ◽  
Criterion Setting

Problems in modelling categorical perception (CP) and attempts to apply signal detection theory (SDT) to CP are reviewed. An approach based on SDT supplemented by a theory of criterion setting is presented. Criterion setting theory (CST) postulates mechanisms that reset the response criterion on each trial, and it accounts for sequential dependencies. A criterion setting model for discrimination is shown to fit data from the literature. The hypothesis that “sharp” category boundaries may arise from the suppression of noise caused by intertrial dependencies was examined in an experiment on the identification of [ba] and [pa] syllables, and tone combinations of varying tone-onset time. However, it was shown that both positive and negative intertrial dependencies were present. They could be fitted by the criterion-setting model; in this respect, CP resembles standard psychophysical judgements. Examination of the psychometric functions from the two CP tasks shows that they are not normal ogives, as in standard psychophysical tasks: these curves are steeper centrally and flatter at the extremes than a Gaussian ogive; we describe them as “hypersigmoid”. The description of CP identification functions as hypersigmoid provides a new, qualitative characterization of the “sharp” category boundaries traditionally claimed for CP. Their causation remains to be determined.

scholarly journals Transfer into L3 English

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 131-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anika Lloyd-Smith ◽  
Henrik Gyllstad ◽  
Tanja Kupisch
Keyword(s):  
Native Speaker ◽  
Age Of Acquisition ◽  
Heritage Speakers ◽  
Language Dominance ◽  
L3 Acquisition ◽  
L1 English

Abstract This study is concerned with L3 acquisition in heritage speakers (HSs). The goals are to incorporate HSs into L3 acquisition research and investigate the role of language dominance for predicting L3 transfer. We analyze global accent in German-Turkish early bilinguals, HSs of Turkish, who acquired English as their L3. Twenty native-speaker judges determined accent strength and accent source in the speech of 18 bilinguals as well as 15 controls (L1 English, L1 German, L1 Turkish) when speaking English. Results show, firstly, that bilinguals are perceived as less accented than L1 Turkish speakers and similar to L1 German speakers. Secondly, unlike L1 controls, there is no uniform accent source for HSs when speaking their L3. Our results question the role of age of acquisition, while being generally consistent with the TPM. However, HSs seem to benefit from bilingual experience and structure-based transfer can be overpowered by high proficiency.

Constructing two phonological systems: A phonetic analysis of /p/, /t/, /k/ among early Spanish–English bilingual speakers

2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-68
Author(s):  
Earl K. Brown ◽  
Mary T. Copple
Keyword(s):  
Native Speakers ◽  
Voice Onset Time ◽  
First Language ◽  
Onset Time ◽  
Center Of Gravity ◽  
Spanish Speakers ◽  
Bilingual Speakers ◽  
English Bilingual ◽  
The Usa

Aims and objectives/purpose/research questions: Many early Spanish-English bilingual speakers in the USA learn Spanish as their first language at home and English in school. This paper seeks to elucidate whether these speakers develop a separate phonological system for English and, if so, the role of primary and secondary cues in the development of the second language (L2) system. Design/methodology/approach: The phonetic realization of the voiceless stops /p/, /t/, /k/ is analyzed among three groups: early Spanish-English bilinguals; L1 English speakers who are late learners of Spanish; and L1 Spanish speakers who are late learners of English. The participants ( N = 15) engaged in a reading task and a conversation task in each language during a single recording session. Data and analysis: 1578 tokens of /p/, /t/, /k/ were extracted and analyzed using acoustic software. Voice onset time in milliseconds and center of gravity in Hertz were analyzed, and monofactorial and multifactorial analyses were performed to determine the role of linguistic background. Findings/conclusions: Evidence is found of two phonological systems among early bilingual speakers, with varying degrees of assimilation to the phonological systems of the native speakers of each language. Originality: We argue that early bilinguals construct their L2 system of /p/, /t/, /k/ in English based on the primary cue of voice onset time rather than the secondary cue of center of gravity, as they are accustomed to noticing differences in voice onset time in Spanish and because the center of gravity of /p/, /t/, /k/ in English is more variable than voice onset time, and therefore represents a more variable and less predictable cue for early bilinguals as they construct their L2 system. Significance/implications: This paper contributes to the literature on the construction of phonological systems and to research detailing the speech of early Spanish-English bilinguals.

Development of speech perception and speech production abilities in adult second language learners

1984 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Gass
Keyword(s):  
Language Learners ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Voice Onset Time ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Nonnative Speakers ◽  
Onset Time ◽  
Nonnative Speaker ◽  
Nonnative Speakers Of English ◽  
Target Languages

ABSTRACTThis study examines the acquisition of production and perception by adult learners of English. The particular focus is voice onset time of initial /b/'s and /p/'s. The subjects are 10 nonnative speakers of English and six native speakers who provided identification responses to synthesized stimuli varying along a voice onset time continuum. Additionally, they each produced words with initial /b/'s and /p/'s. These measures were repeated at three 1-month intervals for the nonnative speakers. The results show that nonnative speaker perception differs from native speaker perception in two important ways: (1) stop consonants are perceived continuously rather than categorically and (2) nonnative speaker perception is influenced by the location of phoneme boundaries in both the native and target languages. Nonnative speaker production shows a greater amount of similarity to native speaker production, although, where deviations occur, nonnative speakers tend to overcompensate for differences between the native and target languages. Finally, methodological issues are raised relating to the comparison of perception and production.

scholarly journals The role of code-switching and language context in bilingual phonetic transfer

2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 263-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel J. Olson
Keyword(s):  
Dual Language ◽  
Voice Onset Time ◽  
Onset Time ◽  
Code Switching ◽  
Additive Effect ◽  
Switching Effect ◽  
Oral Production ◽  
Language Activation ◽  
Language Context

The present study examines the effect of two potential catalysts for interlanguage phonetic interaction, code-switching and language mode, on the production of voice onset time (VOT) to better understand the role of (near) simultaneous dual language activation on phonetic production, as well as the nature of phonetic transfer. An oral production paradigm was carried out in which Spanish–English bilinguals produced words with initial voiceless stops as non-switched tokens, code-switched tokens in an otherwise monolingual context, and code-switched tokens in a bilingual context. Results demonstrated a degree of phonetic transfer associated with code-switching, either unidirectional or bi-directional. Specifically, English, with long lag VOT, was more susceptible to phonetic transfer than Spanish (short lag). Contrary to expectations, while the code-switching effect was present in both monolingual and bilingual mode, there was no additional transfer, or additive effect, of bilingual language mode. Differences in the effects of code-switching on English and Spanish are discussed with respect to the inherently different acceptable VOT ranges in the two languages. Furthermore, the lack of difference in VOT between the code-switched tokens in the monolingual and bilingual contexts is taken to suggest limits on phonetic transfer.

scholarly journals A Phonemic and Acoustic Analysis of Hindko Oral Stops

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haroon Ur RASHID ◽  
Raja Nasim AKHTAR
Keyword(s):  
Acoustic Analysis ◽  
Voice Onset Time ◽  
Onset Time ◽  
Acoustic Cues ◽  
Minimal Pairs ◽  
Closure Duration

Hindko is an Indo-Aryan language that is mainly spoken in Khyber Pukhtoonkhaw province of Pakistan. This work aims to identify the oral stops of Hindko and determine the intrinsic acoustic cues for them. The phonemic analysis is done with the help of minimal pairs and phoneme distribution in contrastive environments which reveals that Hindko has twelve oral stops with three way series. The acoustic analysis of these segments shows that intrinsically voice onset time (VOT), closure duration and burst are reliable and distinguishing cues of stops in Hindko.

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