Attenuation of information during native/non-native interactions
The current dissertation deals with how attenuation of information works in relation to non-nativeness. It also deals with the nature of the attenuation of information phenomenon per se. Attenuation of information refers to the fact that when words are repeated, they got attenuated in a number of wa...
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| Format: | doctoral thesis |
| Status: | Published version |
| Publication Date: | 2013 |
| Country: | España |
| Institution: | CBUC, CESCA |
| Repository: | TDR. Tesis Doctorales en Red |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:www.tdx.cat:10803/129743 |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10803/129743 |
| Access Level: | Open access |
| Keyword: | Attenuation of information Alignment Audience design Foreigner talk Non-native speaker Model of the listener Atenuación de la información Alineación Diseño de la audiencia Hablante no nativo Modelo del oyente 80 |
| Summary: | The current dissertation deals with how attenuation of information works in relation to non-nativeness. It also deals with the nature of the attenuation of information phenomenon per se. Attenuation of information refers to the fact that when words are repeated, they got attenuated in a number of ways, as in word duration, intensity, pitch, pitch excursion and pitch range. When natives speak to natives, attenuation is beneficial for comprehension as it signals the informational status of words. Also, it is known that when natives speak to non-natives, they simplify speech performing foreigner talk. The first question of this thesis is whether foreigner talk and attenuation interact to enhance non-natives comprehensibility. Secondly, I address whether non-native speakers attenuate information, in spite of their production difficulties in a second language. Thirdly, I investigate whether speakers attenuate second mentioned words because it is the second time that the concept is evoked or that the word is articulated. The main findings of this dissertation are: first, that natives shape attenuation under some circumstances when talking to non-natives while performing foreigner talk to improve the signal. Second, that non-natives attenuate information both in monologue and in dialogue. Finally, that attenuation is mainly modulated by semantics. |
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