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ERIC Number: ED647293
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2022
Pages: 282
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 979-8-8417-8883-6
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Computerized Pronunciation Training of Spanish Rhotics
Carlos Andres Rojas
ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, The University of Wisconsin - Madison
The present study explored perceptual and articulatory techniques addressing the pronunciation of Spanish rhotics by means of a week-long computerized training. Through a quasi-experimental design approach, the study tested the utility of the online training and its effects on the phonetic production of taps [voiced alveolar tap or flap] and trills [r]. Learners registered in beginning and (pre)intermediate L2 university-level Spanish courses (n=13) completed three production tasks containing target tap/trill tokens before and after the training: a sentence reading, a paragraph reading, and a picture description task. Voice recordings were made of their participation. Participants also completed a survey to assess the utility of the training. The acoustic analysis in Praat (Boersma & Weenink, 2022) assessed participants' target tokens pre- and post- training by measuring their duration and categorizing them following Henriksen's (2015) scheme; that is, taps were classified as "true", "approximant", or "perceptual", and a 0-4 scale was employed for trills based on number of occlusions (p. 297). The training facilitated the conscious perception of the phonetic features of rhotics and provided explicit articulatory techniques to produce these sounds. The first part of the training encouraged learners to notice the differences and similarities between the Spanish tap and that of American English. First, learners compared the retroflex sound [voiced alveolar approximant] of English (e.g., 'car') and the English flap/tap (e.g., 'butter' ['b[open-mid back unrounded vowel].[voiced alveolar tap or flap][r-colored vowel]]). Subsequently, they attempted to transfer the English tap towards the articulation of the Spanish tap. The second part offered explicit articulatory techniques aimed to facilitate the production of the Spanish trill. The technique requires maintaining slight pressure with the apex of the tongue between the hard palate and the alveolar ridge, thus regulating air flow so that it exits with momentum and speed, which triggers an involuntary series of vibrations caused by lingual contacts, or the trill [r]. By focusing learners' attention on the articulatory features of trills, they were provided with a basic technique to produce the trill in syllable onset position. Results indicated a favorable impact of the computerized training on the pronunciation of Spanish rhotics between tasks, both individually and collectively (i.e., based on participants' level of Spanish course). [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway, P.O. Box 1346, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Tel: 800-521-0600; Web site: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml
Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A