Presentation

Who Follows the Rules? Differential Robustness of Phonological Principles

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Abstract

This study investigates sensitivity to violations of two phonological rules by 14 native speakers of German and 23 L2 learners (L1 American English). Participants completed a phoneme detection task, listening for [t] in pseudowords, including sequences that conformed to the German rule of Dorsal Fricative Assimilation (e.g., [baxt]/[bɛçt]) or violated it (e.g., *[baçt]/*[bɛxt]). Additional stimuli included [h] in initial position (e.g., [hamt]), where it is legal in English and German, and in syllable codas (e.g., *[baht]/*[bɛht]), where it is banned in both. Systematic reaction time effects in response to phonotactic violations are analyzed as evidence that the principle is psychologically real in the phonological grammar. Learners exhibited reaction time effects for both types of violations. In contrast to previous findings, Germans showed no effect for violation of Dorsal Fricative Assimilation; they also showed a slowdown trend for [h] in coda position. These findings suggest important differences between phonological knowledge types and between native and L2 learner exposure to phonological principles.

How to Cite:

Scott, J. H., (2018) “Who Follows the Rules? Differential Robustness of Phonological Principles”, Pronunciation in Second Language Learning and Teaching Proceedings 10(1).