ERIC Number: EJ1262833
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020-Sep
Pages: 39
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0023-8333
EISSN: N/A
The Longitudinal Development of Fine-Phonetic Detail: Stop Production in a Domestic Immersion Program
Language Learning, v70 n3 p768-806 Sep 2020
This study explored the initial stages of adult second language (L2) learning with a special focus on the acquisition of the target language sound system. The aim was to analyze the longitudinal development of Spanish stop voicing contrasts in an immersion learning context. Native English-speaking late learners of Spanish provided production data for Spanish stops on a weekly basis throughout a domestic immersion program. The data were analyzed using Bayesian multilevel models and generalized additive mixed models. The analyses revealed phonetic learning in voiced stops over the course of the immersion program, though learners' production was inconsistent and did not fall within native ranges for most stop segments. The results suggest that L2 phonetic category formation can occur at an early stage of development and follows a nonlinear trajectory that is subject to individual and segment-specific variability. Furthermore, L2 phonetic representations are unstable during the early stages of learning.
Descriptors: Phonetics, Adults, Second Language Learning, Spanish, Immersion Programs, Language Acquisition, Sequential Learning, Articulation (Speech), Longitudinal Studies
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Data File: URL: https://osf.io/w5hsx/