Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract In this study, we investigate the effectiveness of perceptual training, administered to Argentinean learners, in the perception and production of word-initial voiceless stops in English. 24 participants were divided into 3 groups: (i) Group 1, which participated in 3 training sessions; (ii) Group 2, which, besides performing the same training tasks, was explicitly informed about the target item; (iii) Group 3 (control). All participants took part in a pre-test, a post-test and a delayed post-test. In all these tests, they participated in a consonant identification task and took part in a read-aloud task. Our results show a significant increase of both experimental groups in identification. As for production, Group 2 exhibited a significant increase in /p/ and /t/ after training. These results are indicative of the effectiveness of perceptual training tasks in helping learners focus on Voice Onset Time.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract: To examine whether L1 vowel inventory size could be a contributing factor to the use of temporal cues in L2 vowel perception, this study assessed the perception of English /i-ɪ/ by 66 learners of four different L1s: Danish, Portuguese, Catalan and Russian. The L2 learners performed a forced-choice identification task containing natural and duration-manipulated stimuli. Findings suggest that the participants’ over-reliance on duration cues seems to be partially related to their L1 vowel inventory size. The participants with the largest L1 vowel inventory (Danish) demonstrated the most native-like vowel perception and the participants with the smallest L1 vowel inventory (Russian) over-relied on duration cues more than the other learners. Interestingly, the participants with somewhat comparable L1 vowel inventories (Portuguese and Catalan) performed similarly.

Resumo em Português:

Resumo: Este artigo versa sobre a aquisição do português brasileiro como Língua Adicional por imigrantes haitianos, mais precisamente no que tange à percepção das consoantes líquidas /l/ e /ɾ/ na posição intervocálica, em formas como pala, mala, Sara. Participaram do estudo 14 imigrantes haitianos residentes, no momento da pesquisa, na cidade de Pato Branco-PR, com média de idade de 30,07 (DP = 4,98), todos do sexo masculino. A discussão dos dados é pautada nos pressupostos teóricos da Aquisição Fonológica de L2 (FLEGE, 1995; BEST; TYLER, 2007) e os resultados mostram tendência ao processo de assimilação, ou seja, sem a categorização separada de /l/ e /ɾ/. Verifica-se ainda um efeito positivo do tempo de curso e do fato de o informante residir no Brasil com sua família haitiana, com melhor desempenho para aqueles que frequentam curso por mais tempo e residem no país com sua família.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract: This paper deals with the acquisition of Brazilian Portuguese as an additional language by Haitian immigrants, more precisely with regard to the perception of liquid consonants /l/ and /ɾ/ in intervocalic context, as in pala, mala, and Sara. Fourteen Haitian immigrant men with average ages of 30,07 (SD = 4,98) who were living in Pato Branco/PR (Brazil) participated in the study. The discussion is based on theoretical assumptions of L2 Phonological Acquisition (FLEGE, 1995; BEST; TYLER, 2007) and results revealed a tendency to the assimilation process, which means that /l/ and /ɾ/ are categorized together. Besides, the participants who attended the language classes the longest and lived in Brazil with their Haitian families showed a positive effect in perceiving the liquids.

Resumo em Português:

Resumo: Este artigo apresenta um estudo que visou analisar efeitos da similaridade linguística e custos de troca em tarefas de avaliação de redes de atenção e de nomeação de figuras, dentro do paradigma de troca de línguas. O desempenho dos participantes, bilíngues português-inglês e português-espanhol, foi observado a partir de medidas de tempo de reação e acurácia das respostas nessas tarefas. Os resultados não mostraram diferenças significativas nas médias entre os grupos, mas nas comparações intrasujeitos foram observadas diferenças estatisticamente significativas quando os participantes tinham que trocar da L2 para a L1, evidenciando um custo de troca assimétrico. Também foram constatadas correlações entre as duas tarefas no grupo de bilíngues português-espanhol. Esses resultados são interpretados como indícios de efeitos da similaridade linguística nas tarefas de nomeação e de atenção.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract: This article presents a study which aimed at analyzing both linguistic similarity and switching cost effects on the attentional network task and picture-naming task, within the language-switching paradigm. Reaction time and accuracy of responses in these tasks were observed in bilingual Portuguese-English and Portuguese-Spanish participants’ performances. The results did not show any significant differences in the means between the groups. On the other hand, in the within-subjects comparison, statistically significant differences were observed when the participants switched from the L2 to the L1, evidencing an asymmetrical switching cost. Some correlations were also found between the two tasks in the Portuguese-Spanish bilingual group. These results are interpreted as indications of linguistic similarity effects in both naming and attention tasks.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract: Adopting a Complex perspective to language, this study explores the correlation between length of residence (LOR) in London and the production of word-initial English voiceless stops by late south Brazilian bilinguals who have an integrative motivation towards the host language and culture. To this end, 12 immigrants are compared to 10 standard southern British English monolinguals. Acoustic analysis of VOT duration is reported. Results demonstrated that immigrants’ VOT values for English are positively correlated with LOR. Bilinguals with the longest LOR revealed a production of English VOT within the range expected for the controls. These findings can be interpreted as evidence for language as a Complex Adaptive System, and for the hypothesis that the neuroplasticity and the cognitive mechanisms for language development remain intact during the lifespan.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract: This study investigates the production of /θ/ and /ð/ by three groups of English-speakers in the community of Norwich, Ontario, Canada. English monolinguals, heritage Dutch speakers (early bilinguals), and L1 Dutch/ L2 English speakers (late-learning bilinguals) /θ/ and /ð/ production was measured in both naturalistic and reading tasks. Heritage Dutch speakers produce ENT#091;θENT#093; and ENT#091;ðENT#093; at similar rates to Monolingual English speakers, but the two groups exhibit different allophonic realizations, especially when /ð/ is word-initial and /θ/ is word-medial. This study suggests that despite their ability to produce ENT#091;θENT#093; and ENT#091;ðENT#093; , Dutch heritage speakers may manipulate the inherently variable English /θ/ and /ð/ production to communicate their Dutch cultural identity. This is the first study to examine both heritage Dutch bilinguals in Canada and non-English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom Dutch English.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract: This article presents data on the production of English vowels [i ɪ ɛ æ u ʊ] by Brazilian English Language Teaching (ELT) undergraduate students before and after taking a course on English Segmental Phonology. Brazilian learners tend to assimilate the contrasts present in [i ɪ], [ɛ æ] and [u ʊ] into the prototypical categories of Brazilian Portuguese [i], [ɛ] and [u], respectively. Thus, this article investigates the influence of receiving explicit metalinguistic instruction of English segmental phonology on the production of the target pairs of vowels. The data analysis is of acoustic nature (spectral quality), and the results show that some learners created new phonetic categories for the English vowels after receiving the metalinguistic instruction.

Resumo em Português:

Resumo: Este trabalho se propõe a investigar a aquisição das vogais nasais ɛ̃, ã; e ɔ̃ da Língua Francesa por aprendizes do curso de licenciatura em Letras Português/Francês. Em termos articulatórios, essa classe de segmentos caracteriza-se pelo abaixamento do véu palatino, o que gera o acoplamento dos tubos nasal e oral (SEARA, 2000; MEDEIROS e DEMOLIN, 2006; BARBOSA e MADUREIRA, 2015) e, consequentemente, por aspectos acústicos diferentes daqueles encontrados nas vogais orais. Com a passagem livre do ar no trato nasal, o primeiro formante (F1) tende a abaixar e o terceiro (F3) a aumentar (HAWKINS e STEVENS, 1985; DELVAUX, 2003). Há também uma modificação na amplitude de picos espectrais - menor para as nasais -, aparecimento de picos espectrais adicionais e uma maior duração para os referidos segmentos (MORAES e WETZELS, 1992; SOUSA, 1994). Para desenvolver essa pesquisa, foram realizadas coletas de dados articulatórios com três grupos de informantes: Grupo I - dois aprendizes de FLE de semestres distintos (2º e 8º) do curso de licenciatura; Grupo II - uma nativa de francês; e Grupo III - uma nativa de português brasileiro. O instrumento de coleta articulatória consistiu em um teste de produção de logatomas em frase-veículo. As coletas foram realizadas na cabine acústica do Laboratório Emergência da Linguagem Oral (LELO/UFPel). Para a coleta e análise dos dados articulatórios, foi utilizado o software Articulate Assistant Advanced (AAA), versão 2.16.11. A análise dos segmentos dos dois grupos de nativas constatou que: (i) para diferenciar o segmento nasal do oral, a nativa do francês posterioriza seus movimentos de língua, já a do português, eleva-os. Quanto aos dados das aprendizes, foi possível constatar: (i) generalização dos gestos de língua da informante do 2º semestre para as três vogais nasais do FR e (ii) distinção vocálica acurada da informante do 8º semestre. Ainda, a ultrassonografia demonstrou ser uma ferramenta promissora para a realização de pesquisas acerca da nasalidade, evidenciando diferenças estatísticas significativas nos movimentos de língua entre os segmentos orais e nasais.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract: This work aims at investigating the acquisition of the nasal vowels ɛ̃, ã; and ɔ̃ of French by learners in an undergraduate course in Languages (Portuguese and French). In articulatory terms, this class of segments is characterized by a lowering of the velum, which makes a connection between nasal and oral tubes (SEARA, 2000; MEDEIROS e DEMOLIN, 2006; BARBOSA e MADUREIRA, 2015). Consequently, these vowels are characterized by acoustic aspects different from those found in oral vowels. With the free passage of air in the nasal tract, the first formant value (F1) tends to lower and the third formant value (F3) tends to rise (HAWKINS e STEVENS, 1985; DELVAUX, 2003). There is also a change in the width of spectral peaks - which is smaller for nasal vowels -, as well as the appearance of additional spectral peaks and a longer duration for these segments (MORAES e WETZELS, 1992; SOUSA, 1994). In order to develop this research, sessions of articulatory data collection have been made with three groups of informants: Group I - two learners of French as a Foreign Language (FFL) in different semesters (2nd and 8th) of the course; Group II - a native speaker of French; and Group III - a native speaker of Brazilian Portuguese. The articulatory data collection instrument consisted in a test involving the production of pseudowords in a carrier phrase. The sessions of data collection were made in an acoustic cabin of the Emergence of Oral Language Laboratory (LELO/UFPel). For the purpose of collection and analysis of articulatory data, the software Articulate Assistant Advanced (AAA, version 2.16.11) has been used. The analysis of the segments produced by both groups of native speakers has demonstrated that in order to distinguish the nasal segment from the oral one, the native speaker of French posteriorizes her tongue movements, whereas the speaker of Portuguese elevates them. Regarding the data produced by learners, it was possible to verify: (i) generalization of tongue gestures by the 2nd semester informant for the three French nasal vowels and (ii) accurate vocalic distinction by the 8th semester informant. Additionally, ultrasonography has shown to be a promising tool for research on nasality, evidencing significant statistic differences in tongue movements between oral and nasal segments.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract The main goal of this study was to determine whether the geminate-singleton consonant length contrast attrites across three different generations of Farsi-English-speaking bilinguals living in Canada. The secondary aim of the study was to shed light on the role of universal phonetic factors on the process of geminate-singleton length contrast attrition in the same population. The effect of manner/class of sounds and voicing was examined as predictors of geminate attrition in eight Farsi-English-speaking bilinguals living in Toronto forming three categories of generations: first generation, 1.5 generation and second generation. The 1.5 generation category distinguishes children of Iranian immigrants who had acquired Farsi as their first language and came to Canada between the ages of five to fourteen from second generation heritage speakers of Farsi. The productions of the bilinguals were compared with the productions of three homeland variety controls. A word-naming task, which included 108 words was conducted. Using Praat software, 2398 tokens were acoustically analyzed. Attrition was defined in terms of changes in mean duration of geminates relative to their singleton counterparts, percentage of geminate-singleton degemination, and category overlap. Mean durations were then analyzed using a 3-way, mixed-model, repeated-measures ANOVA. Results showed that geminates attrite across different successive generations. Moreover, there was some evidence to suggest that geminate realization across generations patterns with typological patterns previously reported, showing that universal phonetic principles such as aerodynamic constraints/articulatory difficulty and acoustic/perceptual salience also constrain geminate realization in bilingual Farsi-English speakers. However, there was no evidence to suggest that more marked geminates suffer a higher degree of attrition. This is the first study to examine the attrition of a typologically marked contrast, which considers the role of universal phonetic principles, markedness in an understudied bilingual community across different generations.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract Our study employs nonword-learning tasks to examine i-epenthesis in the speech output of 53 Brazilian Portuguese learners of English. One aim is to investigate conflicting views on the syllabification of consonants in various word-medial and final contexts, where they can be parsed as either codas or onsets of empty nuclei. Another aim is to test a proposal (John & Cardoso, 2017) concerning the source of L2 phonological variation: we suggest that L2 variation is lexical rather than derivational, stemming from individual items having dual underlying representations which compete for selection at the moment of speaking. The results of a multivariate statistical analysis indicate: i) a hierarchy of difficulty in the acquisition of the stops /p k/ in different lexical locations; and ii) simultaneous development of dual representations for single lexical items.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract: This study reports on an experimental research conducted with 50 Spanish-L1 college students, divided into 2 groups (A and B). They were presented with a teacher-centered approach based on controlled exercises, but group B received an awareness-building component in which students completed a sequence of tasks with a focus on phonological form. Both groups recorded a speaking test before and after instruction which was used to measure and compare degrees of accentedness, frequency and duration of pauses and nuclear stress placement. Different groups of raters listened and judged the speech samples. Multivariate analysis showed that group B obtained better results in all 3 parameters than the other group. Finally, some pedagogical implications for the teaching of L2 pronunciation in ELT contexts will be discussed.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract This study analyzed changes in the pronunciation-related cognitions of undergraduate TESL students from two Canadian universities during their first term in their programs. The students from one university attended a 13-week course in phonology and pronunciation teaching, while those from the other university received no specific training in pronunciation. Towards the end of the term, the participants who received specialized training had more favorable views of explicit pronunciation teaching and became more confident in their ability to teach pronunciation than the comparison group. The course also helped the participants increase in awareness of their own speech and limitations. The findings point to the importance of native-nonnative speaker interactions in shaping cognitions and suggest that more support to nonnative-speaking TESL students and more training in the use of communicative activities would be helpful.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract: Previous studies have shown that learners’ individual differences (e.g., motivation, age) can impact second language learners’ pronunciation. This study focused on one individual difference that has received relatively little attention-namely, personality. It sought to determine to what extent subcomponents of personality (as defined in the Big-Five model of personality) account for learners’ foreign accent during quasispontaneous and unplanned speech. Fifty-one English-speaking learners of Spanish performed a speaking task that was scored for degree of accentedness. Results revealed that personality explained a considerable portion of the variance, and that extraversion and neuroticism were significant predictors of foreign accent. The discussion addresses the interplay between personality and foreign accent and examines implications for the acquisition of pronunciation in the classroom.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract When it comes to lexical access in L2 speech production, working memory (WM) seems to play a central role, as less automatized procedures require more WM capacity to be executed (Prebianca, 2007). With that in mind, this article aims at claiming that bilingual lexical access qualifies as a controlled serial strategic search task susceptible to individual differences in WM capacity. Evidence in support of such claim is provided by the results of Prebianca (2010) study conducted so as to investigate the relationship between L2 lexical access, WMC and L2 proficiency. Prebianca (2010) findings indicate that bilingual lexical access entails underlying processes such as cue generation, set delimitation, serial search and monitoring, which to be carried out require the allocation of attention. Attention is limited and, as a result, only higher spans were able to perform these underlying processes automatically.