This thesis examines existing theories of Spanish stress assignment in generative phonology and proposes an alternative theory that is more effective in predicting the surface representations of Spanish stress. Stress is characterized according to traditional textbook standards and examples are given (Chapter I). The current theoretical setting, especially the theories of James W. Harris, is then described (Chapter II). This writer's own theory, based upon an underlying distinction between tense and lax vowels, is delineated (Chapter III) and defended (Chapter IV). The new stress assignment rule--along with a rule of vowel laxing before a word boundary (#) and a rule of stress adjustment--shows stress in Spanish to be predictable and, therefore, not phonemic.

Communication in a second or multiple languages has become essential in the globalized world. However, acquiring a second language (L2) after a critical period is universally acknowledged to be challenging (Lenneberg, 1967). Late learners hardly reach a nativelike level in L2, particularly in its pronunciation, and their incomplete phonological acquisition is manifested by a foreign accent—a common and persistent feature of otherwise fluent L2 speech. Although foreign-accented speech is widespread, it has been a target of social constraints in L2-speaking communities, causing many learners and instructors to seek out ways to reduce foreign accents. Accordingly, research in L2 speech has unceasingly examined various learner-external and learner-internal factors of the occurrence of foreign accents as well as nonnative speech characteristics underlying the judgment of the degree of foreign accents. The current study aimed to expand the understanding of the characteristics and judgments of foreign accents by investigating phonological awareness, a construct pertinent to learners’ phonological knowledge, which has received little attention in research on foreign accents. The current study was exploratory and non-experimental research that targeted 40 adults with Korean-accented English living in the United States. The study first examined how 23 raters speaking American English as their native language detect, perceive, describe, and rate Korean-accented English. Through qualitative and quantitative analyses of the accent perception data, the study identified various phonological and phonetic deviations from the nativelike sounds, which largely result from the influence of first language (Korean) on L2 (English). The study then probed the relationship between foreign accents and learners’ awareness of the phonological system of L2, which was measured using production, perception, and verbalization tasks that tapped into the knowledge of L2 phonology. The study found a significant inverse relationship between the degree of a foreign accent and phonological awareness, particularly implicit knowledge of L2 segmentals. Further in-depth analyses revealed that explicit knowledge of L2 phonology alone was not sufficient for targetlike pronunciation. Findings suggest that L2 speakers experience varying degrees of difficulty in perceiving and producing different L2 segmentals, possibly resulting in foreign-accented speech.

by Lui Ling-yee. / Thesis (M.A.)--Chiense University of Hong Kong, 1981. / Bibliography: leaves 94-97.

Sin Ping Wong. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1991. / Bibliography: leaves 143-147. / Abstract --- p.i / Acknowledgements --- p.ii / Table of Contents --- p.iii / Chapter CHAPTER 0. --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Chapter 0.1. --- Learning the English Sound System --- p.1 / Chapter 0.2. --- The Importance of the Acquisition of English Word Stress --- p.5 / Chapter 0.2.1. --- "Stress, Morphology and Syntax" --- p.5 / Chapter 0.2.2. --- Stress and Intelligibility of Non-native Speech --- p.7 / Chapter CHAPTER 1. --- THE STRESS PATTERNS OF ENGLISH WORDS --- p.12 / Chapter 1.1. --- The Phonetic Properties of English Word Stress --- p.12 / Chapter 1.2. --- Theoretical Approaches to English Word Stress --- p.13 / Chapter 1.2.1. --- Chomsky and Halle (1968) 一一 The Sound Pattern of English --- p.14 / Chapter 1.2.1.1. --- Strong/Weak Syllables --- p.15 / Chapter 1.2.1.2. --- The Transformational Cycle --- p.15 / Chapter 1.2.1.3. --- The Main Stress Rule --- p.18 / Chapter 1.2.1.4. --- The Compound Stress Rule and Nuclear Stress Rule --- p.20 / Chapter 1.2.2. --- Liberman and Prince (1977) -- Metrical Phonology --- p.22 / Chapter 1.2.2.1. --- The Stress Rules --- p.24 / Chapter 1.2.2.2. --- The Lexical Category Prominence Rule --- p.26 / Chapter 1.2.3. --- Selkirk (1980) ´ؤ Prosodic Categories --- p.29 / Chapter 1.2.4. --- Hayes (1981) ´ؤ Extrametricality --- p.34 / Chapter 1.2.4.1. --- Rime Projection --- p.34 / Chapter 1.2.4.2. --- Extrametricality --- p.35 / Chapter 1.2.4.3. --- English Stress Rules and Word Tree Construction --- p.36 / Chapter 1.3. --- Prerequisites for the Acquisition of English Word Stress --- p.40 / Chapter CHAPTER 2. --- STUDIES ON THE ACQUISITION OF STRESS --- p.43 / Chapter 2.1. --- The Acquisition of Stress by Children --- p.43 / Chapter 2.2. --- Adults' Stress Patterns - Native Speakers and ESL Learners --- p.45 / Chapter CHAPTER 3. --- METHODOLOGY --- p.51 / Chapter 3.1. --- Research Objectives --- p.51 / Chapter 3.2. --- Research Design --- p.55 / Chapter 3.2.1. --- Test Materials --- p.55 / Chapter 3.2.1.1. --- Criteria for the Coinage of Test Items --- p.55 / Chapter 3.2.1.2. --- The Rime Structure of Test Words --- p.57 / Chapter 3.2.1.3. --- Number of Syllables and Directionality of Rule Application --- p.59 / Chapter 3.2.1.4. --- Syntactic Categories --- p.61 / Chapter 3.2.2. --- Subjects --- p.64 / Chapter 3.2.3. --- Procedure --- p.64 / Chapter CHAPTER 4. --- FINDINGS --- p.68 / Chapter 4.1. --- Overall Performance --- p.69 / Chapter 4.1.1. --- Proficiency Test --- p.69 / Chapter 4.1.2. --- Overall Performance in Test Items --- p.70 / Chapter 4.1.2.1. --- Secondary Students Versus University Students --- p.72 / Chapter 4.1.2.2. --- Syntactic Category --- p.73 / Chapter 4.2. --- Learners' Stress Patterns Classified According to Syllable Structures --- p.76 / Chapter 4.2.1. --- The Stress Patterns of ESL Learners in Verbs --- p.78 / Chapter 4.2.1.1. --- 2-syllable Verbs --- p.78 / Chapter 4.2.1.2. --- 3-syllable Verbs (Regularly Patterned Responses) --- p.83 / Chapter 4.2.1.3. --- 3-syllable Verbs (Irregularly Patterned Responses) --- p.87 / Chapter 4.2.2. --- Stress Patterns of ESL Learners in Nouns --- p.92 / Chapter 4.2.2.1. --- 2-syllable Nouns --- p.92 / Chapter 4.2.2.2. --- 3-syllable Nouns --- p.96 / Chapter 4.3. --- 4-Syllable Nouns --- p.104 / Chapter CHAPTER 5. --- DISCUSSION --- p.116 / Chapter 5.1. --- Summary of Findings --- p.117 / Chapter 5.2. --- The Metrical Theory and the Stress Patterns of ESL --- p.123 / Chapter 5.2.1. --- Rime Structures --- p.123 / Chapter 5.2.2. --- Extrametricality --- p.125 / Chapter 5.2.2.1. --- Consonant Extrametricality --- p.125 / Chapter 5.2.2.2. --- Noun Extrametricality --- p.126 / Chapter 5.2.3. --- Directionality --- p.130 / Chapter 5.2.4. --- Stress Assignment --- p.132 / Chapter 5.3. --- Second Language Acquisition --- p.137 / Chapter 5.3.1. --- Learners' Strategy --- p.137 / Chapter 5.3.2. --- Group Difference --- p.138 / Chapter 5.3.3. --- L1 Transfer --- p.139 / Chapter CHAPTER 6. --- CONCLUSION --- p.141 / REFERENCES --- p.143 / Appendix A --- p.i / Appendix B --- p.vi / Appendix C --- p.xvi

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Linguistics and Philosophy, 1980. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND HUMANITIES. / Bibliography: leaves 246-253. / by Janet Breckenridge Pierrehumbert. / Ph.D.

This study investigates the acquisition of English lexical stress by Cantonese-English bilingual children and compares the bilinguals with English monolingual children of the same age. The aim of this study is to find out how Cantonese-English bilingual children develop English lexical stress under the possible interaction of the two phonological systems. Two age groups were included: 2;06 and 3;0. Two acoustic correlates for lexical stress were measured: syllable duration and peak F0. Words in two language contexts were examined: disyllabic words in English speech and code-switched English words in Cantonese speech. / Data of eight bilingual children and seven monolingual children were used. All the bilingual data came from CHILDES database and monolingual data came from multiple sources. Disyllabic words were extracted from English utterances, and the stressed/unstressed syllable duration and peak F0 ratios were calculated to see how contrastive the stress patterns were. Results indicated that the monolingual children displayed a more contrastive stress pattern in both acoustic correlates, although syllable duration is found to be more reliable than peak F0 in stress distinction. Stress pattern in code-switched words were also analyzed. It was found that bilingual children displayed a stronger pitch difference in code-switched words, more contrastive than the patterns in their English speech. The results suggest that between 2;06 and 3;0, Cantonese-English bilingual children used less duration and pitch contrast for lexical stress than English monolingual children did, and they were slower in developing native-like lexical stress pattern during this period. On the other hand, Cantonese-English bilingual children used acoustic properties for lexical stress differently in the two language contexts, indicating that they possessed some kind of metalinguistic awareness at such an early age. / 本研究探索粵語和英語雙語兒童對英語詞重音的早期習得情況，並將雙語兒童與英語單語兒童進行對比討論。研究目的旨在探討雙語語音系統之間是否存在相互影響，以及此影響如何改變雙語兒童的語言韻律發展。研究對象包括處於2 歲6個月及3 歲這兩個年齡階段的粵英雙語及英語單語兒童。文章選取兒童自然對話中,位於句中位置的雙音節詞，對其音節時長和音高峰值進行測量。此外，本研究發現雙語兒童存在代碼轉換的現象，即在粵語表達中插入英語辭彙，因此本文同時也對被插入的英語辭彙的詞重音進行探究，以期對詞重音的雙語習得獲得更詳盡的瞭解。 / 本研究所用數據來自八名粵英雙語兒童和七名英語單語兒童。雙語兒童數據取自“兒童語言資料交換系統”（CHILDES）中的“香港雙語兒童語料庫”，單語兒童數據則來自多方資料。研究將所提取的雙音節詞的重音音節與非重音音節的時長及音高峰值分別測量之後，計算出重音音節與非重音音節的比值。比值越大表明兒童在產出中越能明顯區別重音音節與非重音音節，即對英語詞重音的掌握越好。 / 研究結果發現單語兒童的表現領先于雙語兒童，體現在單語兒童可以將重音與非重音音節的時長與音高明顯區分，而雙語兒童產出的雙音節詞中，重音音節和非重音音節在時長和音高方面的區別都不明顯。然而對於被插入粵語句子中的英語雙音節詞，雙語兒童卻能很好地區分開重音音節和非重音音節的音高 。 / 研究結果表明，在2 歲6 個月至3 歲之間的這段時間，粵語和英語雙語兒童對英語詞重音的習得逊於英語單語兒童。但另一方面，粵語和英語雙語兒童表現出對語言環境的敏感，可以根據語言環境和交流對象的不同改變對語音特徵的運用，展現出一定程度的元（後設）語言覺識。 / Li, Jingwen. / Thesis M.Phil. Chinese University of Hong Kong 2014. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 56-65). / Abstracts also in Chinese. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on 11, October, 2016). / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only.

published_or_final_version / Applied English Studies / Master / Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics

Technological advancements in the recent past have provided new methods for learning to speak English as a second language (ESL). The majority of accent reduction training regimes nowadays involve the use of different media as teaching and learning cues such as video or audio signals. However, few such programs have been proven to actually provide efficient and useful feed back to ESL learners, and few offers evidence proving that such multisensory approach of accent reduction is superior to traditional unisensory (auditory-only) approach. The present study intended to design and assess the effectiveness and efficacy of a multisensory, acoustics-based accent reduction training system that is capable of training foreign speakers to correctly produce English vowels by providing instantaneous auditory and visual feedback to the users. The study also validated the system against traditional accent modification regimes by objectively comparing the efficacy of such system with traditional accent reduction training. Results indicate that multimedia-based training with instantaneous visual and auditory feedback yielded significant improvement in accent reduction. / published_or_final_version / Speech and Hearing Sciences / Master / Master of Philosophy

This study proposes that metrical constituents are inherently headless and stress is autosegmental. Chapter 2 argues that, since stress is the only diagnostic for the presence of a metrical head, the latter is redundant and must be eliminated from phonological theory. Further arguments for the inherent headlessness of feet are cited fl:om the theory of prosodic morphology (McCarthy and Prince 1990, Crowhurst 1991b) and from the facts of Yidinʸ stress (Dixon 1977, Crowhurst 1991a, Crowhurst and Hewitt, to appear). Next, stress is shown to exhibit the following auto segmental properties: stability (Bedouin Hijazi Arabic) , morphemic stress (Spanish, Turkish, Tagalog) and the ability to float (Mayo, Tagalog). After comparing the properties of stress with those of autosegments, it is concluded that stress is an autosegment. Assuming that feet can be either disyllabic, bimoraic or iambic (Hayes 1991), the above conclusion predicts the existence of five types of binary stressed feet. These are the left- and right-stressed syllabic foot, instantiated by Warao and Mayo, respectively, the left- and right-stressed moraic foot, instantiated by Cairene Arabic and Turkish, respectively, and the iambic foot, instantiated by Hixkaryana. The asymmetric nature of the iamb is attributed to the Weight-to-Stress Principle (Prince 1990), which allows stress to be assigned directly to heavy syllables. Furthermore, this principle predict6 all and only the attested types of unbounded stress systems. Chapter 5 argues that stressless feet and unfooted stresses are instantiated in Mayo, and the theories of Halle and Vergnaud 1987a, b and Hayes 1987, 1991 are shown to be incapable of accounting for these facts. The autosegmental theory of stress advances phonological theory in three ways. First, it eliminates most of the principles and devices which up to now have been used only to describe stress, leaving only the abstract stress autosegment which is itself subject to the principles of autosegmental theory. Second, this approach attributes many of the apparent differences between stress and tone to differences in their respective domains rather than differences in their formal properties. Third, the autosegmental theory of stress facilitates the formalization of a number of stress systems with heretofore complex analyses, including Yidinʸ, Mayo, Cairene Arabic, Turkish, Khalkha Mongolian and Tagalog.

published_or_final_version / Linguistics / Master / Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics