Modified Approximants in L2 Spanish Teacher Talk

Transcript Modified Approximants in L2 Spanish Teacher Talk

Modified Approximants in L2 Spanish Teacher Talk: What are Students Hearing in the L2 Classroom?

Background

• • • • originally to find individual differences in L2 Spanish pronunciation all students (level 2) had substantial L1 influence noticed the teacher was varying her pronunciation pronunciation was changing within recordings and between students

Research Questions Meghan V. Huff Department of Linguistics University of Pittsburgh

• • • what phonetic modifications are present in this example of L2 teacher talk?

what factors may influence phonetic variance in L2 teacher talk?

what questions are raised that will lead to further investigation?

Results

For the stop-approximant system in L2 Spanish Teacher Talk, there was a greater likelihood of approximant realization for: • • • conversation > reading functional categories > lexical categories fluid student interlocutor > halting student interlocutor • • • Proposed continuum used in L2 teacher talk and English/Spanish interlanguage systems labial: coronal: velar: [b] ~ [β] ~ [β̞] [d ̪ ] ~ [ð] ~ [ð̞] [g] ~ [ɣ] ~ [ɣ̞] ‘beber’

to drink

, ‘tuve’

I got/had

‘divertido’

fun(adj)

, ‘nada’

nothing

‘amigo’

friend, ‘

haga

’ do(subj.)

[v] is occasionally found and expected due to orthographic interference [d] is not found in the sample, but may occur in extreme cases of misunderstanding Methods

• • • • • • Spanish 0002 midterm oral exams (interviews) recorded via iPad student verbal consent obtained, existing recordings used (n=19) recording environment was noisy, as other exams were conducted in the same room data screened through Praat and only a few were clear enough for acoustic analysis impressionistic results were recorded generally, with context generalizations were made to design future research and experiments

Stop v. Approximant Discussion: Phonetic Adaptation in L2 Teacher Talk Linguistic Experience

• Native speakers or Non native speakers • Time spent abroad • Implicit and explicit knowledge of language • Proficiency • Register

Teaching Experience

• Methodological training • Years of experience in the classroom • Familiarity with content • Prior experience with teaching the level

Student Level of Proficiency

• Class level • Individual struggles • Past performance • Signaling for help

Motivation to accommodate

• Teaching philosophy • Personality • Classroom environment • Perspectives on the nature of learning/acquisition

Future Directions

• • • • • teacher recordings in the classroom, wider sample, and clearer data statistical testing of influence of key factors, listed in chart above, on adaptation production and perception experiments, to explore the impact of modified input on student outcomes vis a vis experience and exposure creation of an interventional program to improve student pronunciation outcomes creation of a phonetic training program for teachers to create awareness of accent inducing transfer and increase ability to train students in pronunciation

Selected Resources

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Ivanova, J. P. (2011).

The effects of teacher talk on l2 learners’ comprehension

(Masters Thesis, The University of Utah). (pp. 39–52). Lindblom, B. (1990). Explaining phonetic variation: a sketch of the H&H theory. In

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