The role of frequency in the specialization of the English anterior

Smith, K. Aaron

doi:10.1075/tsl.45.18smi

Cited by 42 publications

(16 citation statements)

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“…While this token vs. type frequency distinction is irrelevant in this study (they show a similar pattern of frequency in which coronals are significantly more frequent than labials and dorsals), some researchers maintain that type frequency is a better predictor of the eventual winner in a competition when two distinct forms are expected by different methods for counting frequency (e.g. Smith, 2001;Harris and Cardoso, 2009). 11 It is also possible that these results reflect the quantitative distribution of lax (V) and tense (VV) vowels in word-final closed syllables in English.…”

Section: Notesmentioning

confidence: 90%

The development of coda perception in second language phonology: A variationist perspective

Cardoso

2011

Second Language Research

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Within a variationist approach for data collection and analysis, this study investigates the acquisition in perception of post-vocalic word-final stops (codas) by speakers of Brazilian Portuguese learning English as a foreign language in a classroom environment. Because codas are illicit in this variety of Portuguese, the hypothesis holds that learners will process this foreign structure as followed by an illusory epenthetic vowel, [i], a manifestation of 'perceptual foreign accent'. In a forcedchoice phone identification task, 51 participants listened to series of English pseudowords and then decided on whether each word ended in a consonant or in a vowel. The statistical results of the experiment indicate that codas are more likely to be perceived in the following cases:(1) in more advanced levels of proficiency, (2) in the context of segments that belong to the class of coronals [t d] and labials [p b], and (3) when the coda consonant is preceded by a lax vowel. The latter as well as the non-significant word size factor contradict the results established in the investigation of the production of this syllabic constituent. To some extent, the results obtained show a correlation between speech perception and production, and support the view that perception precedes production in the development of second language codas. Keywords coda perception, variationist second language acquisition, interlanguage perception, interaction of production and perception, perception development, Brazilian Portuguese, English as a foreign language I IntroductionA previous study on the second language (L2) acquisition of singleton word-final stops (codas henceforth) has shown that -in the context of Brazilian Portuguese (BP) native

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Section: Notesmentioning

confidence: 90%

The development of coda perception in second language phonology: A variationist perspective

Cardoso

2011

Second Language Research

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“…Type frequency, on the other hand, affects language change because it is related to productivity: the greater the number of types with which a construction occurs, the more general (or productive) its use and thus its availability to extend to new contexts (Bybee & Brought to you by | New York University Bobst Library Technical Services Authenticated Download Date | 7/31/15 2:41 PM Thompson 1997). This is evident in Smith's (2001) work on the history of the have and be auxiliaries for the resultative / perfect in English, which existed in variation in Old English. Smith found that the high type frequency of the have construction allowed it to generalize (and thereby increase in use) over time, while be came to be restricted to highly frequent verbs (due to the Conserving Effect) and eventually lost, today being maintained in American English only in the highly frequent and entrenched form is gone.…”

Section: Frequency Effectsmentioning

confidence: 86%

“…That is, a gente is the more productive form, and this helps to advance the change, as it extends to more and more contexts (cf. Bybee & Thompson 1997, Smith 2001, Tottie 1991. Thus, the higher token frequency of certain constructions in which nós occurs and the higher type frequency of a gente function together to allow the spread of a gente to all but a limited set of environments, which we predict may be the only area where nós remains in the future.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 87%

The Role of Frequency in First-Person Plural Variation in Brazilian Portuguese: Nós vs. a gente

Travis¹,

Silveira²

2009

Studies in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics

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This paper investigates the conditioning of the variation between two first-person plural forms in contemporary spoken Brazilian Portuguese, an older pronoun nós used with first-person plural agreement and a newer pronoun a gente, derived from an NP meaning 'the people', used with third-person singular agreement. This is part of a broader change in the language involving the breakdown of verbal agreement as third-person marking extends to the domains of first-and second-person. We consider the conditioning of use of these forms in spoken Brazilian Portuguese from Fortaleza and uncover a phenomenon that as yet has not been noted in relation to this variation, namely frequency. We find that the high type frequency of a gente contributes to the spreading use of this form, and the high token frequency of nós in specific constructions slows it down. We predict that these highly frequent constructions (such as nos temos 'we have', digamos 'let's say' and vamos + V-INF 'let's V') may remain a last vestige of nós in Brazilian Portuguese as a gente comes to take over the realm of first-person plural.

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“…As with single words, the reduction of strings affects their representation as reduced tokens are added to memory. Several studies provide evidence for such effects, including Boyland (2001), Brown (2004), Bush (2001), Bybee & Scheibman (1999), Krug (1998Krug ( , 2001, and Smith (2001). Krug (1998) explored the role of string frequency in the formation of English contractions and found a correlation between the frequency of a given string and its rate of contraction in speech.…”

Section: Studies Of Frequency Effects On Phonological Structurementioning

confidence: 95%

Ratio Frequency: Insights into Usage Effects on Phonological Structure from Hiatus Resolution in New Mexican Spanish

Alba

2008

Studies in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics

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Mounting evidence shows that frequency of use plays a fundamental role in shaping linguistic structure, including phonological structure (cf. Bybee 2001). Because the study of frequency effects is relatively new, our understanding of how they impact structure continues to be refined. This study explores the effects of several frequency measures on the resolution of hiatus between words in Spanish, and reveals that in addition to the traditional phonological factors, frequency is also involved. Multivariate analyses show that ratio frequency -or the frequency of a two-word string relative to that of one of the words it contains -is a better indicator than straightforward token frequency of the likelihood that the string will be processed as an autonomous unit and undergo concurrent phonological reduction. These findings build on a usage-based model of language, providing important insights into the nature of lexical storage and how this relates to linguistic variation and change.

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The role of frequency in the specialization of the English anterior

Cited by 42 publications

References 0 publications

The development of coda perception in second language phonology: A variationist perspective

The development of coda perception in second language phonology: A variationist perspective

The Role of Frequency in First-Person Plural Variation in Brazilian Portuguese: Nós vs. a gente

Ratio Frequency: Insights into Usage Effects on Phonological Structure from Hiatus Resolution in New Mexican Spanish

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