Development of timing patterns in first and second languages

Speech rhythm as naturally occurring and culturally transmitted behavioral patterns

“…Earlier studies showed that speech rhythm develops from more regular (isochroneous, with quasi-equal syllable and vowel durations) toward more irregular rhythmic patterns, and that this trajectory is typical of both first and second language acquisition. [10][11][12][13] The development of speech rhythm in language acquisition is governed not only by language-specific, and thus culturally transmitted factors (i.e., dominant rhythmic patterns in the native language of an adult learning a second language), but also by universal factors (i.e., by mechanical constraints on speech production and the properties of the mammalian auditory system). Thus, adult native speakers of languages that exhibit irregular rhythmic patterns cannot simply transfer these rhythmic skills from their native to a second language, but have to develop the required degree of irregularity anew, similar to the way that children develop rhythmic skill in their first language.…”

“…Thus, adult native speakers of languages that exhibit irregular rhythmic patterns cannot simply transfer these rhythmic skills from their native to a second language, but have to develop the required degree of irregularity anew, similar to the way that children develop rhythmic skill in their first language. 10,11 To the best of my knowledge, there have been no systematic studies of the developmental aspects of rhythm acquisition across different species to date. We do not know whether the emergent rhythmic patterns in vocal signals are refined in accordance with the norms of specific species or even specific populations within various species, and, if so, whether there are similarities in developmental trajectories across species.…”

On the acquisition of French speech rhythm in a multilingual classroom: Evidence from linguistic and extra- linguistic data

“…The same effect was shown to occur in the data produced by Chinese learners of English as a foreign language (Chen 2012, Li & Post 2012. Regarding transfer of durational properties in the context of FLL involving an L1 and a target language belonging to the same rhythmic group, transfer has been shown to occur, e.g., in German learners of English (Ordin et al (2011) and in Italian learners of (Castilian) Spanish (Benet et al 2012, Gabriel & Kireva 2014; see also Gut (2011) for an overview. evidenced in the field of bilingual L1 acquisition, e.g., by Kehoe et al (2011), who compared the data gathered from Spanish/German bilingual children with control material produced by monolingual Spanish and German children.…”

Unstressed Vowels in German Learner English: An Instrumental Study

“…The native speakers' Syllable Ratio (2.50:1) was larger than that of the learners (2.23:1), indicating that, while German learners transfer quantity reduction, they do not reach the level of native speakers. Ordin et al (2011) investigated the timing patterns of GLE at various proficiency levels. The VarcoV and vocalic PVI measurements showed that the variation of vowel durations increases with language proficiency.…”