Presentation

The Influence of Abstract Phonological Processes on the Acquisition of a Foreign Language—An Example of German, Spanish, and English

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Abstract

This study examines the transfer of abstract phonological rules targeting word-final obstruents from the L1 to the L2/Ln in adult learners. Specifically, we investigate the production of word-final /d/ in German, Spanish, and English. In German and Spanish, the surface representations differ from the underlying representations, while English does not exhibit a difference, albeit phonetic differences do arise. The results indicate that L1 German/Ln Spanish speakers are more consistent in their production of the surface alternations than L1 English/L2 Spanish speakers. L1 Spanish/Ln German speakers are also more consistent in their production of the surface alternations than L1 English/L2 German. We argue that these differences across L1 groups are due to the presence of a phonological rule in the L1 targeting the same segment, in the same word position, even if the phonetic realization is different across L1s.

Keywords: phonological rules, lenition, final fortition, rule transfer, coda position, surface alternations

How to Cite:

 

Koob, R. & Shea, C. (2024).  The Influence of Abstract Phonological Processes on the Acquisition of a Foreign Language – An Example of German, Spanish, and English. In D. J. Olson, J. L. Sturm, O. Dmitrieva, & J. M. Levis (eds), Proceedings of 14^th Pronunciation in Second Language Learning and Teaching Conference, (pp. 1-13). Purdue University, September 2023. https://doi.org/10.31274/psllt.17563