Allophony in English Language Learners: The Case of Tap in English and Spanish

Autor/inn/en	Burrows, Lauren; Jarmulowicz, Linda; Oller, D. Kimbrough
Titel	Allophony in English Language Learners: The Case of Tap in English and Spanish
Quelle	In: Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 50 (2019) 1, S.138-149 (12 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0161-1461
Schlagwörter	Phonemes; English Language Learners; Spanish Speaking; Kindergarten; Monolingualism; Speech Acts; Accuracy; Language Skills; Articulation (Speech) + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Fonem; Sprechakt; Language skill; Sprachkompetenz
Abstract	Purpose: The objective of this study was to examine tap production by English language learners (ELLs) in kindergarten whose 1st language is Spanish. The conflicting status of tap in Spanish and English could present challenges for allophonic learning in 2nd language for ELLs. Prior research has evaluated acquisition of other allophone pairs, but none has focused exclusively on tap. Method: Thirty ELLs, 30 English monolinguals, and 29 Spanish monolinguals participated in the study. Participants completed a single-word repetition task in which numerous opportunities to produce tap were provided. Productions were phonetically transcribed and analyzed. Results: The great majority of taps were pronounced correctly in both languages. The allophonic status of tap in English and phonemic status in Spanish suggest ELLs could experience negative transfer in learning; however, this was not observed. A significant interaction indicated more t/d substitutions in English and more semivowel/liquid substitutions in Spanish, contradicting the expectation of negative transfer. ELLs were also significantly more accurate at producing tap in Spanish than English. Conclusion: Findings suggest that, at early kindergarten, ELL children rapidly adapted to English patterns of tap production even though Spanish and English conflict in phonemic/allophonic status of tap. This study was preliminary, and further investigation is warranted. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. 2200 Research Blvd #250, Rockville, MD 20850. Tel: 301-296-5700; Fax: 301-296-8580; e-mail: lshss@asha.org; Web site: http://lshss.pubs.asha.org
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01