One particular area of concern for L2 Spanish students whose L1 is English is the pronunciation of Spanish rhotics. This study investigates L2 Spanish rhotic production in beginning learners, specifically addressing the possible effects that the different ways to produce rhotics in English (retroflex and bunched) have on the acquisition of Spanish tap and trill. It also addresses the influence that a phonological rule involving taps in English has on the acquisition of the same phone in Spanish. Results from multiple linear regressions involving forty-eight students enrolled in beginning Spanish foreign language classes show that English rhotic articulation alone is a significant predictor of trill accuracy and is a predictor of tap accuracy when controlling for amount of Spanish exposure. Concerning the effect of an L1 phonological rule on the production of Spanish rhotics, results from a paired samples t-test show that a significantly high percentage of accurately produced taps were found in words that follow the same phonological rule that produces taps in English. These results suggest that a theory of the second language acquisition of phonology should consider both phonological and physiological factors.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PITT/oai:PITTETD:etd-05112010-112621 |
| Date | 20 September 2010 |
| Creators | Olsen, Michael Kevin |
| Contributors | Carlos Ramirez, Erin O'Rourke, Alan Juffs |
| Publisher | University of Pittsburgh |
| Source Sets | University of Pittsburgh |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.library.pitt.edu/ETD/available/etd-05112010-112621/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to University of Pittsburgh or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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