ERIC Number: EJ1164202
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017-Dec
Pages: 31
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0272-2631
EISSN: N/A
On Sociophonetic Competence: Phrase-Final Vowel Devoicing in Native and Advanced L2 Speakers of French
Dalola, Amanda; Bullock, Barbara E.
Studies in Second Language Acquisition, v39 n4 p769-799 Dec 2017
The data from this study investigate phrase-final vowel devoicing in Metropolitan French among L1 and L2 speakers, in terms of number of times a speaker devoices a phrase-final high vowel and percentage of the vowel that is devoiced. The goal is to assess whether experienced L2 speakers use style-based variation in response to the same factors as native speakers. Results from a set of role playing and word list tasks revealed that L2 devoicing rates matched those of the natives, but were conditioned by different factors in each group. The duration of L2 speaker devoicing, however, was found not to match native levels. Notable differences emerged in response to shifts in style: L1 speakers showed higher rates and enhanced degrees of devoicing in pragmatic contexts that favored either slower or more formal speech, while L2 speakers responded very little to pragmatic shifts within role plays, instead responding more pronouncedly to different tasks.
Descriptors: French, Vowels, Language Usage, Language Variation, Native Speakers, Second Language Learning, Role Playing, Word Lists, Language Styles, Comparative Analysis, Phonetics, Sociolinguistics
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
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