Revisiting (Non-)Native Influence in VOT Production: Insights from Advanced L3 Spanish
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Voice Onset Time in Second and Third Language Acquisition
2.1. L2 Acquisition of Voice Onset Time
2.2. L3 Acquisition of Voice Onset Time
3. Methodology
3.1. Participants
3.2. Instruments
3.3. Procedure
3.4. Data Analysis
4. Results
4.1. Control Groups
4.2. Experimental Groups
4.2.1. French as an L1 and an L2
4.2.2. English as an L1 and L2
4.2.3. Spanish as an L3
4.2.4. Comparison of VOT Means Across the L1, the L2, and the L3
5. Discussion
6. Concluding Remarks
Author Contributions
Funding
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
Appendix A
Word Lists in Alphabetical Order
- Spanish list: cama, casa, codo, copa, cubo, cura, pala, pato, pelo, pena, piña, piso, poco, pollo, puño, puro, queja, queso, quinto, quita, talla, tarro, tela, tema, tina, tiro, toro, torre, tubo, tuyo.
- French list: cadre, canne, coq, corde, cou, coût, pas, patte, pêche, père, pile, pipe, poche, pomme, poudre, pour, quelle, quête, quitte, tache, tasse, terre, tête, thon, tique, tir, tort, touche, tout.
- English list: cabbage, cocky, cookie, cooler, copper, cuddle, kennel, kettle, killer, kitten, parrot, penny, pepper, pillow, pity, pocket, polish, poodle, pool, puppy, tacky, teller, tenant, tickle, tipping, toddler, toonie, tooth, topping, tummy.
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1 | Pyun (2005) labels “inter-rules” those rules that shape the interlanguage of the learners but that do not exist as internal rules neither in the grammar of the source languages (namely Korean and English) nor in the grammar of the target language (Swedish). For an account of how these examples illustrate inter-rule creation/use and transfer of L1, L2 and L3 phonological rules, as well as additional examples of each category, please see Pyun (2005, pp. 56–60). |
2 | It is worth noting that the studies cited in this paragraph have concentrated on learners at the beginner and/or intermediate levels of L3 proficiency, with varying levels of L2 proficiency. Within this context, it is complicated to estimate the role proficiency in the non-native languages may play in accounting for the different outcomes. In fact, most L3 researchers control for proficiency but hardly ever make this variable the focus of investigation. Future studies should target L2 and L3 proficiency, so we can gain insight into this factor’s impact on CLI in TLA. |
3 | As pinpointed by several authors (Hammarberg 2010; García-Mayo 2012; among others), the terms first, and specially, second and third language are used ambiguously and variably in the literature. In fact, a multilinguals’ languages can be labeled either in a chronological sense or according to other characteristics. For a comprehensive discussion on this terminological issue, the reader is referred to Hammarberg (2010). Regarding the purposes of this study, L2 is to be understood strictly as the second language for our participants not only because of the order of acquisition but also in terms of proficiency, i.e., it is the language learnt after the L1 and the level of proficiency in that language is lower than in the L1, but higher than in the L3. |
4 | In French, word-level stress falls on the rightmost syllable. To ensure the production of voiceless stops in stressed, onset position, words in the French list are monosyllabic. |
5 | An anonymous reviewer questioned the usefulness of comparing our findings to native speaker means when determining the L1/L2 influence on the L3. We believe that reporting these comparisons allows for the presentation of our findings in a more nuanced way, with a more comprehensive analysis of our participants’ behavior in all their known languages. Moreover, it is common practice in similar L3 studies to compare VOT means either to L1 control groups (e.g., Aoki and Nishihara 2013; Beckmann 2012; Gabriel et al. 2016) or to L1 reference values from the literature (e.g., Bandeira and Zimmer 2012; Dittmers et al. 2018; Wrembel 2011). |
6 | Please note that grey-shaded cells represent language pairs that show some overlap, as per the lack of significant differences yielded by the post hoc tests. White cells, on the other hand, display values that have been found to differ significantly from the means in other cells within the same column. |
7 | Trilingual Francophones in the 2010 study produced L3 VOT means of 34 ms for /p/, 33 ms for /t/, and 59 ms for /k/, which are considerably higher than the means we are reporting here. |
Group | n | L1 | L2 | L3 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Experimental | TA | 15 | CEn | CFr (Ad) | Sp (Ad/Hi) |
TF | 15 | CFr | CEn (Ad) | Sp (Ad/Hi) | |
Control | MA | 8 | CEn | CFr (Be) | -- |
MF | 15 | CFr | CEn (Be) | -- | |
MS | 15 | CSp | En (Be) | -- |
/p/ | /t/ | /k/ | |
---|---|---|---|
Mean (SD) | Mean (SD) | Mean (SD) | |
Group MS | 14.82 (3.85) | 18.18 (4.85) * | 30.58 (4.58) * |
Group TF | 18.54 (5.42) | 25.16 (7.42) * | 42.21 (9.77) |
Group TA | 31.58 (15.63) * | 36.36 (15.52) * | 51.2 (14.8) |
Group TA | Group TF | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
/p/ | /t/ | /k/ | /p/ | /t/ | /k/ | ||
Mean (SD) | Mean (SD) | ||||||
EN (L1) | 60.56 (16.96) | 70.27 (14.69) | 74.3 (12.49) | EN (L2) | 50.28 (12.79) | 62.91 (13.19) | 69.93 (11.07) |
FR (L2) | 46.48 (21.58) | 53.43 (19.42) | 61.7 (17.92) | FR (L1) | 27.8 (8.35) | 39.11 (9.22) | 54.6 (11.93) |
SP (L3) | 31.58 (15.62) | 36.36 (15.52) | 51.2 (14.81) | SP (L3) | 18.54 (5.42) | 25.16 (7.42) | 42.21 (9.77) |
Group TA | Group TF | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Language Pairing | U | p | Language Pairing | U | p | ||
/p/ | L1 vs. L2 | 69 | 0.071 | /p/ | L1 vs. L2 | 19.50 | ≤0.001 * |
L2 vs. L3 | 66 | 0.054 | L2 vs. L3 | 6.00 | ≤0.001 * | ||
L1 vs. L3 | 22.00 | ≤0.001 * | L1 vs. L3 | 34.00 | ≤0.001 * | ||
/t/ | L1 vs. L2 | 52.50 | 0.013 * | /t/ | L1 vs. L2 | 16.00 | ≤0.001 * |
L2 vs. L3 | 57.50 | 0.023 * | L2 vs. L3 | 0.00 | ≤0.001 * | ||
L1 vs. L3 | 15 | ≤0.001 * | L1 vs. L3 | 27.00 | ≤0.001 * | ||
/k/ | L1 vs. L2 | 73 | 0.101 | /k/ | L1 vs. L2 | 34.50 | ≤0.001 * |
L2 vs. L3 | 66 | 0.054 | L2 vs. L3 | 2.00 | ≤0.001 * | ||
L1 vs. L3 | 30.00 | 0.001 * | L1 vs. L3 | 38 | 0.002 * |
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Llama, R.; Cardoso, W. Revisiting (Non-)Native Influence in VOT Production: Insights from Advanced L3 Spanish. Languages 2018, 3, 30. https://doi.org/10.3390/languages3030030
Llama R, Cardoso W. Revisiting (Non-)Native Influence in VOT Production: Insights from Advanced L3 Spanish. Languages. 2018; 3(3):30. https://doi.org/10.3390/languages3030030
Chicago/Turabian StyleLlama, Raquel, and Walcir Cardoso. 2018. "Revisiting (Non-)Native Influence in VOT Production: Insights from Advanced L3 Spanish" Languages 3, no. 3: 30. https://doi.org/10.3390/languages3030030