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ERIC Number: ED175282
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1977
Pages: 10
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Learner Intonation -- A Pilot Study.
Backman, Nancy
This study is concerned with problems in language learners' intonation of English. Ten intonation problems were found in the learner speech of two adult Spanish-speaking males: (1) range of pitch, (2) initial rise, (3) final fall, (4) rise to final stressed syllable, (5) placement of prominence, (6) final rise for questions, (7) total question elevation, (8) slope of the peaks, (9) within-word pitch movement, and (10) pitch movement on segmentals. Acoustic analysis was made using sound spectrograms; the data were also judged perceptually. Acoustic evidence showed significant differences between the learner speech and the speech of a native English speaker in all ten areas. Analysis of the learners' Spanish intonation patterns showed evidence to suggest that the native patterns were transferred onto their learner speech in English, specifically in their range of pitch, the contours of statements, and Yes/No question. The study also revealed that the more experienced speaker's intonation patterns were closer to those of the American than those of the new arrival. (Author/AMH)
Publication Type: Reports - Research; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Note: Paper presented at the Los Angeles Second Language Research Forum (1st, Los Angeles, California, February 11-13, 1977)