A representational parameter for onsetless syllables

Balas

Rojczyk

2014

RiL

Self Cite

Although there is little consensus on the relevance of non-contrastive allophonic processes in L2 speech acquisition, EFL pronunciation textbooks cover the suppression of stop release in coda position. The tendency for held stops in English is in stark opposition to a number of other languages, including Polish, in which plosive release is obligatory. This paper presents phonetic data on the acquisition of English unreleased stops by Polish learners. Results show that in addition to showing a tendency for the target language pattern of unreleased plosives, advanced learners may acquire more native-like VC formant transitions. From the functional perspective, languages with unreleased stops may be expected to have robust formant patterns on the final portion of the preceding vowel, which allow listeners to identify the final consonant when it lacks an audible release burst (see e.g. Wright 2004). From the perspective of syllabic positions, it may be said that ‘coda’ stops are obligatorily released in Polish, yet may be unreleased in English. Thus, the traditional term ‘coda’ is insufficient to describe the prosodic properties of post-vocalic stops in Polish and English. These differences may be captured in the Onset Prominence framework (Schwartz 2013). In languages with unreleased stops, the mechanism of submersion places post-vocalic stops at the bottom of the representational hierarchy where they may be subject to weakening. Submersion produces larger prosodic constituents and thus has phonological consequences beyond 'coda' behavior.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Representation Of 'Codas' In the Onset Prominence Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Stop Release in Polish English — Implications for Prosodic Constituency

Balas

Rojczyk

2014

RiL

Self Cite

“…However, the connection with rhythmic classes mentioned above suggests that such cross-language differences are the product of categorical parameter settings. These parameters are built into the Onset Prominence phonological framework (OP; Schwartz 2013Schwartz , 2016, in which the initial vocalic portion in CV sequences, represented as the Vocalic Onset (VO) node of structure (Schwartz 2013), is ambiguous with regard to the traditional consonant-vowel distinction. Phonetically, this portion of the signal is, strictly speaking, part of the vowel.…”

Section: The Phonological Origins Of Viscmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dynamic targets in the acquisition of L2 English vowels

Aperliński

Kaźmierski

et al. 2016

RiL

Self Cite

Abstract This paper presents acoustic data on the dynamic properties of the FLEECE and TRAP vowels in the speech of two groups of Polish users of English. Results reveal that the more proficient group users, made up of teachers and professors with professional-level proficiency in English, produce more dramatic patterns of formant movement, reminiscent of native productions, than first year students. It is argued that vowel inherent spectral change (VISC) is an inherent aspect of English phonology, originated in interactions between vowels and neighboring consonants, and later generalized to the vowel system as a whole. By contrast, Polish is a language with a minimal role of VISC. Consequently, successful acquisition of L2 English vowels involves not only the mastery of vowels in F1- F2 space, but also formant trajectories over time.

“…Glottalization may be used for emphasis, or to mark stressed initial vowels, or phrase boundaries. The phonological underpinnings of this opposition may be attributed to a parameter setting with regard to syllables lacking an onset consonant (see Schwartz, 2013b). 3 In some languages, onsetless syllables show signs of prosodic deficiency, and are not counted for prosodic processes such as stress, reduplication, or tone.…”

Section: The Phonetics and Phonology Of Glottal Markingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Monitoring English Sandhi Linking – A Study of Polish Listeners’ L2 Perception

Rojczyk

Balas³

2015

RiL

Self Cite

This paper presents a set of word monitoring experiments with Polish learners of English. Listeners heard short recordings of native English speech, and were instructed to respond when they recognized an English target word that had been presented on a computer screen. Owing to phonological considerations, we compared reaction times to two types of vowel-initial words, which had been produced either with glottalization, or had been joined via sandhi linking processes to the preceding word. Results showed that the effects of the glottalization as a boundary cue were less robust than expected. Implications of these findings for models of L2 speech are discussed. It is suggested that the prevalence of glottalization in L1 production makes listeners less sensitive to its effects as a boundary cue in L2.