Spoken word recognition by English-speaking learners of Spanish

ABSTRACT: Spoken word recognition is a hard task. As an aid, native listeners develop segmentation strategies efficiently attuned to phonological properties of their language, like the rhythmic unit (foot, syllable, or mora). If second-language (L2) learners persist in using their own unit, they may...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Lahoz Bengoechea, José María, Tuninetti, Alba, Escudero Neyra, Paola Rocío
Tipo de recurso: capítulo de libro
Fecha de publicación:2019
País:España
Institución:Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)
Repositorio:Docta Complutense
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:docta.ucm.es:20.500.14352/118031
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/118031
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:811.134.2'34
811.134.2'243
Spoken word recognition
L2 acquisition
Rhythmic units
Spanish
Lengua española
Lingüística
Enseñanza de la lengua y la literatura
5705.06 Fonología
5705.01 Lingüística Comparada
5701.11 Enseñanza de Lenguas
Descripción
Sumario:ABSTRACT: Spoken word recognition is a hard task. As an aid, native listeners develop segmentation strategies efficiently attuned to phonological properties of their language, like the rhythmic unit (foot, syllable, or mora). If second-language (L2) learners persist in using their own unit, they may experience longer processing times and even miss word boundaries. Therefore, the question arises as to whether highly proficient L2-speakers can inhibit their segmentation habits. Native Spanish subjects and English-speaking learners of Spanish took a word-spotting test. Participants heard nonsensical words and had to decide whether a real Spanish word or pseudoword was embedded. Some words and pseudowords were stress-initial; others were stress-medial. Different reaction times for both conditions would indicate foot-based segmentation. RTs showed non-significant differences across conditions for either L1 group. English speakers may interpret Spanish unreduced vowels as cues to foot beginning, with their foot-based segmentation having the same effect as syllable-based in this case.