The local intelligibility of brazilian learners’ speech in english (l2) to argentinian and german listeners : a discussion on non-native perception from a complex, dynamic perspective

This thesis aims to investigate the intelligibility of the L2 English spoken by Brazilian learners when perceived by other non-native learners. We examine the local intelligibility (MUNRO; DEWING, 2015) of words with the vowels [æ] – [ɛ] and [i] – [ɪ]. We adopt a Complex, Dynamic view of language (DE BOT; LOWIE; THORNE, 2013, BECKNER et al., 2009; LARSEN-FREEMAN, 2017) and apply two complementary analyses, inferential and exploratory, in order to observe (a) the intelligibility rates of the target words produced by our participants; (b) the variables that have effects on the identification of the target vowels; and (c) the acoustic and participant-related characteristics that play a role in that identification. We collected samples produced by six Brazilian learners of English, at three levels of proficiency, all native speakers of Porto-Alegrense Brazilian Portuguese. Additionally, two native speakers of Canadian English provided baseline tokens. We selected 128 sentences as stimuli for the forced-choice perception task. Our 46 listeners were organised in two groups: Argentinian native speakers of Riverplate Spanish, and German native speakers of Central German. As for our first goal, our mixed-effects logistic models show an effect of the listener’s L1 on the intelligibility rates of the words with the [æ] – [ɛ] vowels. Tokens with [æ] were more intelligible to Germans, and the ones with [ɛ] were more intelligible to Argentinians. L1 was not significant for the accurate identification of words with [ɪ], but it was for tokens with [i]; Germans showed higher accuracy rates than Argentinians. As for our second goal, our model calculated L1 as a significant predictor variable of vowel identification for the mid/low pair, but not for the tense/lax one. F1 was not a significant predictor for the identification of [æ] and [ɛ], but it was for [i] and [ɪ]. F2 was significant for both pairs. The inferential statistics was complemented by an exploratory analysis, which took into account those statistically significant variables, as well as speakers’ proficiency levels and the length of the vowels in the stimuli. As for our third goal, our stimulus-by-stimulus analyses suggest that participant-related characteristics and acoustic cues are combined by the listeners in different ways, leading to emerging phenomena. We found that the temporal cue seems to play a strong role in the perception of the four vowels by Germans, a role that is not so clear in the perception of [ɛ] or [i] by Argentinians. Our exploratory investigation also suggests that both groups of listeners take the temporal cue in combination with F1 and F2, though the decisive status of those spectral cues appears more clearly in Argentinian identifications. Overall, our analyses suggest that the hybrid nature of both the non-native speakers’ and listeners’ systems will lead to emerging phenomena, as a result of the Complex, Dynamic way in which individual systems have developed. We understand that our findings highlight the need to take both speaker and listener into account when investigating L2 speech intelligibility, thus confirming the dynamic and complex nature of this process.O presente trabalho investiga a inteligibilidade do inglês (L2) falado por aprendizes brasileiros quando percebido por outros aprendizes não-nativos. Avalia-se a inteligibilidade local (MUNRO; DEWING, 2015) de palavras com as vogais [æ] – [ɛ] e [i] – [ɪ]. O trabalho adota uma visão de língua como Sistema Dinâmico e Complexo (DE BOT et al., 2013, BECKNER et al., 2009; LARSEN-FREEMAN, 2017) e utiliza-se de métodos complementares de análise, inferenciais e exploratórios, para investigar (a) a inteligibilidade das palavras-alvo produzidas pelos falantes no presente estudo; (b) as variáveis que têm efeitos sobre a identificação das vogais-alvo; e (c) o papel de características acústicas e relacionadas aos participantes nessa identificação. Foram coletadas produções de seis brasileiros aprendizes de inglês, em três níveis de proficiência, nativos da variedade porto-alegrense de português brasileiro. Dois falantes nativos de inglês canadense forneceram tokens de controle. Foram selecionados 128 estímulos para a tarefa de percepção de escolha forçada. Os 46 ouvintes compunham dois grupos: argentinos nativos de espanhol rio-platense, e alemães nativos de alemão central. Em relação ao primeiro objetivo da presente dissertação, os modelos logísticos de efeitos mistos mostraram efeito da L1 do ouvinte na inteligibilidade de palavras com as vogais [æ] – [ɛ]. Palavras com [æ] foram mais inteligíveis para alemães, e aquelas com [ɛ], para argentinos. A L1 não foi significativa para a identificação correta de palavras com [ɪ], mas o foi para palavras com [i]; alemães tiveram maior acuidade do que argentinos. Em relação ao segundo objetivo, o modelo apontou que L1 constitui variável preditora significativa na identificação de vogais do par médio/baixo, mas não do tenso/frouxo. A variável F1 não foi significativa para a identificação de [æ] e [ɛ], mas o foi para a de [i] e [ɪ]. F2 foi significativa para ambos os pares. A análise estatística foi complementada pela exploratória. Esta última considerou as variáveis estatisticamente significativas, bem como o nível de proficiência dos falantes e a duração das vogais nos estímulos. A análise estatística foi complementada, em relação ao terceiro objetivo, com a análise estímulo-por-estímulo, que sugere que tanto características relacionadas aos participantes quanto pistas acústicas são combinadas de diferentes maneiras pelos ouvintes, levando a fenômenos emergentes. Os resultados indicam que a pista temporal tem um papel forte na percepção das quatro vogais do inglês pelos alemães, papel esse menos claro na percepção de [ɛ] or [i] pelos argentinos. A análise exploratória sugere, ainda, que ambos os grupos de ouvintes tomaram a pista temporal em conjunto com F1 e F2, embora o status decisivo dessas pistas espectrais pareça mais claro nas identificações por argentinos. De modo geral, os resultados do presente trabalho sugerem que a natureza híbrida dos sistemas dos falantes e dos ouvintes não nativos permitiram a emergência de fenômenos, em função da maneira dinâmica e complexa com que cada sistema individual se desenvolve. Entende-se que os resultados apresentados evidenciam a necessidade de considerar tanto ouvinte quanto falante em investigações acerca da inteligibilidade da fala em L2, confirmando, assim, a natureza dinâmica e complexa desse processo

A tribute to Elizaveta Ubryatova: professional life and personal destiny

The article was submitted on 10.06.2015. Translated by Dr. Lilia Gorelova.In Russia, the name of prominent turkologist Elizaveta Ivanovna Ubryatova, at present is known mostly to specialists who study the languages spoken by the Northern peoples of the country. However, the essence of scientific research of a linguist of such a calibre includes naturally attentive and concerned attitude to the fate of the peoples residing in the North of Russia, which was especially important in the conditions of the Soviet era. Survival of the Northern peoples and their languages became for Ubryatova not only a scientific problem but also a mission of vital importance. Ubryatova’s scientific interests were not restricted to linguistic problems, she also purposefully studied the important monuments of folk literature and ethnography of indigenous peoples. This was due to her scientific breadth, social responsibility, and commitment to a supreme mastery of the research object. That is why she became the founder of the original linguistic and cultural school in the study of the history and structures of languages spoken by peoples living in the North of Russia. The scale of her bright personality, combined with her intelligence, patience, and feminine care about colleagues and students, made her a center of attraction for researchers in this field. She launched an extensive project of publishing works devoted to folklore of the peoples who inhabited the Northern territories of Russia, and whose traditional culture became a part of the world culture as a result. The languages of the Dolgans and Yakuts became the main topics of her research. In this article, we outline the major ideas proposed by Ubryatova in her works, viz., those concerning the origin of the Turkic languages, Dolgan and Yakut in particular, and principles of the organization of the Yakut syntax. In her works, devoted to syntactic problems, Ubryatova determined the fundamental characteristic features of systemic organization of Turkic languages, Yakut in particular, as the ability of these languages to link language units of different levels between each other by using the same grammatical means. In Turkic languages, almost all syntactic relations between clauses can be expressed grammatically, and this linguistic phenomenon entails the existence of a diverse and advanced system of non-finite verbal forms. These important findings can be successfully generalised to embrace all Altaic languages. Addressing a linguistic problem, Ubryatova combined her deep intuition with intensive field work and systematic theoretic investigation. Monographs and textbooks written by Ubryatova belong to the gold reserve of Turkology and cultural linguistics.Среди российских лингвистов имя Елизаветы Ивановны Убрятовой известно преимущественно специалистам, изучающим языки народов Севера. Однако суть научных изысканий лингвистов этого профиля закономерно включала в себя неравнодушное отношение к судьбе народов Севера в условиях советского времени, что для Убрятовой было не только научной, но и жизненной задачей. Елизавета Ивановна, путь которой отчасти случайно пересекся с исследованием не только языка, но и памятников фольклорной словесности и этнографии, отнюдь не случайно, а в результате научной добросовестности и стремления к доскональному знанию объекта исследования становится основателем оригинального лингвокультурологического направления в изучении истории и структуры языков народов, живущих на севере России. Масштаб личности, яркая индивидуальность в сочетании с настоящей интеллигентностью, терпением и женской заботой об окружающих сотрудниках и учениках сделали ее центром притяжения, позволили сформировать школу, запланировать и осуществить величественный проект издания фольклора народов Севера, где самобытная культура этой территории стала частью мировой культуры. Главными в ее исследовании стали тюркские языки - долганский и якутский. В статье прописаны основные тезисы работ Убрятовой по темам «Происхождение тюркских языков» и «Принципы организации синтаксиса якутского языка». В трудах по синтаксису Елизавета Убрятова определяет особенность системной организации тюркских языков, и якутского в частности, как способность единиц разного уровня соединяться при помощи одних и тех же средств. Идея Убрятовой о том, что почти все синтаксические отношения имеют грамматические выражения, что и определяет систему глагольных форм, как показано в статье, оказалась принципиально важна не только для тюркологии. В ее лингвистических изысканиях тонкая интуиция сочеталась с огромной полевой работой и системными исследованиями каждого вопроса. Научные сочинения Убрятовой составляют золотой фонд тюркологии

L2 development and L1 attrition in an L1-dominant environment: analysing voice onset time in L1 Spanish and L2 English

In this study, we investigate the occurrence of L1 attrition among Argentinean learners of English (L2) living in their home country, which constitutes an L1-dominant environment. We analyzed the production of Voice Onset Time in word-initial plosives in L1 Spanish by monolingual and bilingual participants. We carried out both an inferential analysis and an individual verification of each participant’s production, which proved to be complementary. Our results suggest that not only is the L2 affected by the L1, but also the L1 can be modified in view of the contact with additional languages.En este estudio, investigamos la ocurrencia del fenómeno de atrición lingüística en la L1 entre estudiantes argentinos de inglés (L2) residentes en su país natal, lo que constituye un ambiente de L1 dominante. Analizamos la producción de Voice Onset Time en oclusivas iniciales en español (L1) por participantes monolingües y bilingües. Se realizaron análisis inferenciales e individuales por participante. Ambos tipos de análisis, en conjunto, resultaron ser complementarios. Los resultados sugieren que no sólo la L2 puede ser afectada por la L1, sino que también la L1 puede ser modificada en función del contacto constante con las lenguas adicionales.In this study, we investigate the occurrence of L1 attrition among Argentinean learners of English (L2) living in their home country, which constitutes an L1-dominant environment. We analyzed the production of Voice Onset Time in word-initial plosives in L1 Spanish by monolingual and bilingual participants. We carried out both an inferential analysis and an individual verification of each participant’s production, which proved to be complementary. Our results suggest that not only is the L2 affected by the L1, but also the L1 can be modified in view of the contact with additional languages. Neste estudo, investigamos a ocorrência de atrito de L1 entre aprendizes argentinos de inglês (L2) residentes em seu país de origem, o que constitui um ambiente dominante em L1. Analisamos a produção do VOT em plosivas iniciais de palavras em espanhol L1 de participantes monolíngües e bilíngües. Realizamos uma análise inferencial e uma verificação individual da produção de cada participante, que se mostrou complementar. Nossos resultados sugerem que não somente a L2 é afetada pela L1, mas também a L1 pode ser modificada em vista do contato com outros idiomas

Prosodic description: An introduction for fieldworkers

This article provides an introductory tutorial on prosodic features such as tone and accent for researchers working on little-known languages. It specifically addresses the needs of non-specialists and thus does not presuppose knowledge of the phonetics and phonology of prosodic features. Instead, it intends to introduce the uninitiated reader to a field often shied away from because of its (in part real, but in part also just imagined) complexities. It consists of a concise overview of the basic phonetic phenomena (section 2) and the major categories and problems of their functional and phonological analysis (sections 3 and 4). Section 5 gives practical advice for documenting and analyzing prosodic features in the field.National Foreign Language Resource Cente

LCG MCDB -- a Knowledgebase of Monte Carlo Simulated Events

In this paper we report on LCG Monte Carlo Data Base (MCDB) and software which has been developed to operate MCDB. The main purpose of the LCG MCDB project is to provide a storage and documentation system for sophisticated event samples simulated for the LHC collaborations by experts. In many cases, the modern Monte Carlo simulation of physical processes requires expert knowledge in Monte Carlo generators or significant amount of CPU time to produce the events. MCDB is a knowledgebase mainly dedicated to accumulate simulated events of this type. The main motivation behind LCG MCDB is to make the sophisticated MC event samples available for various physical groups. All the data from MCDB is accessible in several convenient ways. LCG MCDB is being developed within the CERN LCG Application Area Simulation project

Formant frequencies and vowel space area in Javanese and Sundanese English language learners

Several studies have documented how first language (L1) vowel systems play an important role in the vowel production of a second language (L2). L2 learners of Western languages who exhibit a smaller L1 vowel system are predicted to struggle with producing L2 vowels. However, there remains a paucity of evidence on how the L1 vowel system of non-Western languages interferes with L2 vowel production In this case, the focus is specifically on Javanese and Sundanese, two of the most widely spoken Indonesian local languages. This present study investigated how the six Javanese vowels and the seven Sundanese vowels influence the production of ten English vowels. In this experiment, 40 speakers, Javanese, Sundanese, and 10 native English speakers, participated in the production task. Spectral dimensions, including first (F1) and second formant (F2) frequencies, were analysed acoustically. According to the Speech Learning Model, Javanese and Sundanese speakers should have trouble producing similar vowels such as (/I, ɛ, ʊ/) and should not exhibit greater L2 differences with new vowels such as (/i:, æ, ɑː, ɔ:, u:, ʌ, ɜ:/). Indeed, the results demonstrated that the Javanese speakers did have different F1 and F2 values with the English vowels (/i:, æ, ɑː, ɔ:, u:, ʌ, ɜ:/) and the Sundanese speakers produced different F1 and F2 values for vowels (/æ, ɑː, ɔ:/) when compared to the English native speakers. Interestingly, though vowels (/I, ʊ/) were considered to be similar vowels in the L1 vowel system, the Javanese and Sundanese speakers also showed differences in the formant structure. The vowel space area in the productions by Javanese and Sundanese speakers was slightly smaller than that of the native English speakers. The present study is expected to serve as a basis for future studies and provide the patterns of English vowels produced by Javanese and Sundanese learners of English

Finding Our Rhythm: Contextualizing Second Language Development Through Music-Based Pedagogy

Each person learning a second or foreign language faces a unique developmental path. Individual learning trajectories have been obscured, however, by the search for “best practices” in second language educational research and praxis (Edge & Richards, 1998). This one-size-fits-all view has been further reinforced by a predominant cognitivist tradition, which orients to cognition mainly through mechanical and input and output processing, or a “mind as machine” metaphor (Boden, 2006). My dissertation aims to offer an alternative to this tradition. In my dissertation, I introduce a music-based intervention designed to develop students’ pronunciation (speech rhythm) in a U.S. college-level English as a second language classroom. The intervention draws heavily on the rhythmic properties of rap and other forms of popular music. Rather than contending solely with the binary question of whether the intervention works (or results in “best practices”), I use mixed methods to examine individual student outcomes through the lens of three major complex subsystems of second language development (Larsen-Freeman, 2011): ideological, interactional and speech production. I aim to demonstrate that students’ rich in-class interactional practices and ideological understandings of the (African American) language associated with the music in the intervention (and with my own Blackness as a teacher-researcher) reveal as much about their second language development as does an assessment of their speech rhythm production. Building on the premise that language learning is an endeavor that is not only cognitive in nature, but also social, my dissertation advocates for a much fuller contextualization of second language development and classroom practices

Can Late EFL Learners Attain Nativelike Pronunciation? Evidence from Catalan Speakers’ Production of English Low Vowels

[Abstract] Catalan learners of English have many difficulties to produce the three English low vowels /ӕ ʌ ɑ/ accurately. This is because, like Spanish, Catalan has only one low vowel /а/ so learners tend to perceive the three target vowels as instances of the same Catalan cetegory (Rallo Fabra, 2005). Flege (1995) predicts that nonnative speakers can produce L2 sounds authentically if they perceive the differences between the native and the target sounds. This paper investigates production accuracy of the three English low vowels by three groups of Catalan learners of English differing in foreign accent (FA) and a group of native English speakers. The data were obtained in an elicitation task in which participants were asked to pronounce a series of monosyllabic words containing one of the three target vowels. Production accuracy was measured quantitatively in terms of spectral data of first and second formant vowel frequencies. Results indicate that learners can produce nativelike instances of vowels /ӕ/ and /ʌ/ but not of /ɑ/. These findings do not really follow Flege’s predictions, since learners were able to produce nativelike instances of two English vowels although these vowels were heard as “similar” to Catalan /a/