English Centering Diphthong Production By Polish Learners of English

The paper shows how British English centering diphthongs are adapted to the vowel space of Polish learners of English. The goal is to focus on complex vowels and the interaction of qualitative and quantitative features. Acoustic analysis revealed various processes used to overcome pronunciation difficulties: /j/ and /w/ breaking, /r/ insertion, substitutions of other vocalic qualities, changes in diphthong duration and diphthong phases duration, and changes in the rate of frequency change

Monitoring English Sandhi Linking – A Study of Polish Listeners’ L2 Perception

This paper presents a set of word monitoring experiments with Polish learners of English. Listeners heard short recordings of native English speech, and were instructed to respond when they recognized an English target word that had been presented on a computer screen. Owing to phonological considerations, we compared reaction times to two types of vowel-initial words, which had been produced either with glottalization, or had been joined via sandhi linking processes to the preceding word. Results showed that the effects of the glottalization as a boundary cue were less robust than expected. Implications of these findings for models of L2 speech are discussed. It is suggested that the prevalence of glottalization in L1 production makes listeners less sensitive to its effects as a boundary cue in L2

English vowel perception by Polish advanced learners of English

This article examines English vowel perception by advanced Polish learners of English in a formal classroom setting (i.e., they learnt English as a foreign language in school while living in Poland). The stimuli included 11 English noncewords in bilabial (/bVb/), alveolar (/dVd/) and velar (/gVg/) contexts. The participants, 35 first-year English majors, were examined during the performance of three tasks with English vowels: a categorial discrimination oddity task, an L1 assimilation task (categorization and goodness rating) and a task involving rating the (dis-)similarities between pairs of English vowels. The results showed a variety of assimilation types according to the Perceptual Assimilation Model (PAM) and the expected performance in a discrimination task. The more difficult it was to discriminate between two given vowels, the more similar these vowels were judged to be. Vowel contrasts involving height distinctions were easier to discriminate than vowel contrasts with tongue advancement distinctions. The results also revealed that the place of articulation of neighboring consonants had little effect on the perceptibility of the tested English vowels, unlike in the case of lower-proficiency learners. Unlike previous results for naïve listeners, the present results for advanced learners showed no adherence to the principles of the Natural Referent Vowel framework. Generally, the perception of English vowels by these Polish advanced learners of English conformed with PAM's predictions, but differed from vowel perception by naïve listeners and lower-proficiency learners.The project was financed by grant no. UMO-2015/17/B/HS2/01246 “Perceptual reorganization of speech: the interplay of categories and features” from the National Science Centre, Poland. Projekt finansowany ze środków z grantu nr UMO-2015/17/B/HS2/01246 pt. "Przekształcenia percepcji mowy: oddziaływanie kategorii i cech" przyznanego przez Narodowe Centrum Nauki.633309338Canadian Journal of Linguistic

The influence of second language vowels on foreign language vowel perception

This paper examines the limits of feature abstraction and the influence of second language vowels on foreign vowel perception (cf. Pajak and Levy 2014). Perception of Dutch vowels by Polish students of English and French and Dutch was assessed using categorization tasks with goodness ratings. Dutch front rounded vowels were identified predominantly as front vowels by learners of French and Dutch and as back vowels by learners of English.The results suggest that the hypothesis about selective attention to features should incorporate markedness and that experience with second language front rounded vowels is enough to trigger disentangling rounding from backness.The project was financed by grant no. UMO-2015/17/B/HS2/01246 “Perceptual reorganization of speech: the interplay of categories and features” from the National Science Centre, Poland. Projekt finansowany ze środków z grantu nr UMO-2015/17/B/HS2/01246 pt."Przekształecenia percepcji mowy: oddziaływanie kategorii i cech" przyznanego przez Narodowe Centrum Nauki

External Sandhi in L2 segmental phonetics - final (de)voicing in Polish English

The effects of external sandhi, phonological processes that span word boundaries, have been largely neglected in L2 speech research. The glottalization of word‐initial vowels in Polish may act as a “sandhi blocker” that prevents the type of liaison across word boundaries that is common in English (e.g. find out/fine doubt). This reinforces the context for another process, final obstruent devoicing, which is typical of Polish‐accented English. Clearly ‘initial’ and ‘final’ do not mean the same thing for the phonologies of the two languages. An adequate theory of phonological representation should be able to express these differences. This paper presents an acoustic study of the speech of voiced C#V sequences in Polish English. Results show that the acquisition of liaison, which entails suppression of the L1 vowel‐initial glottalization process, contributes to the error‐free production of final voiced obstruents, implying the internalization of cross‐language differences in boundary representatio

Perception of allophonic cues to English word boundaries by Polish learners: Approximant devoicing in English

The study investigates the perception of devoicing of English /w, r, j, l/ after /p, t, k/ as a word-boundary cue by Polish listeners. Polish does not devoice sonorants following voiceless stops in word-initial positions. As a result, Polish learners are not made sensitive to sonorant devoicing as a segmentation cue. Higher-proficiency and lower-proficiency Polish learners of English participated in the task in which they recognised phrases such as buy train vs. bite rain or pie plot vs. pipe lot. The analysis of accuracy scores revealed that successful segmentation was only above chance level, indicating that sonorant voicing/devoicing cue was largely unattended to in identifying the boundary location. Moreover, higher proficiency did not lead to more successful segmentation. The analysis of reaction times showed an unclear pattern in which higher-proficiency listeners segmented the test phrases faster but not more accurately than lower-proficiency listeners. Finally, #CS sequences were recognised more accurately than C#S sequences, which was taken to suggest that the listeners may have had some limited knowledge that devoiced sonorants appear only in word-initial positions, but they treated voiced sonorants as equal candidates for word-final and word-initial position

Indicators of Poland's sustainable development in and tools for their dissemination and presentation

W artykule przedstawiono założenia przyjęte w pracach nad zestawem wskaźników zrównoważonego rozwoju, kryteria doboru wskaźników, koncepcję ich grupowania według ładów i dziedzin oraz informacje w zakresie Bazy Wskaźników Zrównoważonego Rozwoju jako narzędzia służącego do udostępniania i prezentacji mierników. Materiał zawiera zaktualizowany zestaw wskaźników zrównoważonego rozwoju Polski. W artykule zaprezentowano także zarys przyszłych prac dotyczących monitorowania zrównoważonego rozwoju kraju.The paper presents the assumptions used in work on a set of sustainable development indicators, criteria for the selection of indicators, and the adopted concept of their grouping by domains and areas, as well as information concerning Sustainable Development Indicators Database as a tool for sharing and presentation of indicators. The material includes an updated set of sustainable development indicators for Poland. The author also offers an outline of future work on monitoring the sustainable development of the country.Aleksandra Balas: [email protected] Molenda: [email protected] Aleksandra Balas - Urząd Statystyczny w KatowicachAnna Molenda - Urząd Statystyczny w KatowicachAgenda 21, 1992, Konferencja Narodów Zjednoczonych, Rio de Janeiro.Borys T., 2010, Wskaźniki Zrównoważonego Rozwoju – efektywna forma konkretyzacji nowego paradygmatu rozwoju, Cz. 1. Co chcemy mierzyć?, „Zielona Planeta”, nr 3(90).Borys T., Fiedor B., 2008, Operacjonalizacja i pomiar kategorii zrównoważonego rozwoju – przyczynek do dyskusji, [w:] Rachunki narodowe. Wybrane problemy i przykłady zastosowań, M. Plich (red.), Główny Urząd Statystyczny, Uniwersytet Łódzki, Warszawa.Długookresowa Strategia Rozwoju Kraju. Polska 2030. Trzecia fala nowoczesności, 2013, Ministerstwo Administracji i Cyfryzacji, Warszawa.Europa 2020. Strategia na rzecz inteligentnego i zrównoważonego rozwoju sprzyjającego włączeniu społecznemu, Bruksela, 3.3.2010, KOM(2010) 2020, wersja ostateczna.II Polityka Ekologiczna państwa (dokument z perspektywą do 2025 roku), dokument przyjęty przez Radę Ministrów w czerwcu 2000 roku i Sejm RP w sierpniu 2001 roku.Koncepcja Przestrzennego Zagospodarowania Kraju 2030, MP 2012, poz. 252.Konstytucja Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 2 kwietnia 1997 roku, Dz.U. 1997, Nr 78, poz. 483 z późn. zm.Krajowa Strategia Rozwoju Regionalnego 2010-2020: Regiony, Miasta, Obszary wiejskie, 2010, Ministerstwo Rozwoju Regionalnego, Warszawa.Narodowe Strategiczne Ramy Odniesienia 2007-2013 wspierające wzrost gospodarczy i zatrudnienie. Narodowa Strategia Spójności, 2007, Ministerstwo Rozwoju Regionalnego, Warszawa.Odnowiona Strategia Trwałego Rozwoju Unii Europejskiej, 2006, Rada UE, Bruksela.Our Common Future, 1987, United Nations, New York.Polityka ekologiczna państwa w latach 2009-2012 z perspektywą do roku 2016, 2008, Ministerstwo Ochrony Środowiska, Warszawa.Polityka Energetyczna Polski do 2030 roku, 2009, Ministerstwo Gospodarki, Warszawa.Polityka Klimatyczna Polski – Strategie Redukcji Emisji Gazów Cieplarnianych w Polsce do roku 2020, 2003, Ministerstwo Środowiska, Warszawa.Polityka Leśna Państwa, 1997, Ministerstwo Ochrony Środowiska, Zasobów Naturalnych i Leśnictwa, Warszawa.Polityka Transportowa Państwa na lata 2006-2025, 2005, Ministerstwo Infrastruktury, Warszawa.Programowanie perspektywy finansowej 2014-2020 – Umowa Partnerstwa, 2015, Ministerstwo Rozwoju, Warszawa.Przyszłość jakiej chcemy, 2012, dokument końcowy Konferencji Narodów Zjednoczonych w sprawie Zrównoważonego Rozwoju RIO +20.Strategia Bezpieczeństwo Energetyczne i Środowisko – perspektywa do 2020 roku, 2014, Ministerstwo Gospodarki, Ministerstwo Środowiska, Warszawa.Strategia Innowacyjności i Efektywności Gospodarki Dynamiczna Polska 2020, 2013, Ministerstwo Gospodarki, Warszawa.Strategia Rozwoju Kapitału Ludzkiego 2020, 2013, Ministerstwo Pracy i Polityki Społecznej, Warszawa.Strategia Rozwoju Kapitału Ludzkiego 2020, 2014, Ministerstwo Pracy i Polityki Społecznej, Warszawa.Strategia Rozwoju Kapitału Społecznego 2020, MP 2013, poz. 378.Strategia Rozwoju Kraju 2020, 2012, Ministerstwo Rozwoju Regionalnego, Warszawa.Strategia Rozwoju Systemu Bezpieczeństwa Narodowego Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej 2022, MP 2013, poz. 377.Strategia Rozwoju Transportu do 2020 r. (z perspektywą do 2030 r.), 2013, Ministerstwo Transportu, Budownictwa i Gospodarki Morskiej, Warszawa.Strategia Sprawne Państwo 2020, MP 2013, poz. 136.Strategia Zrównoważonego Rozwoju Wsi, Rolnictwa i Rybactwa na lata 2012-2020, 2012, Ministerstwo Rolnictwa i Rozwoju Wsi.Sustainable Development in the European Union – 2013 monitoring report of the EU Sustainable Development Strategy, 2013, Eurostat, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg.Ustawa z dnia 27 kwietnia 2001 r. Prawo Ochrony Środowiska, Dz.U. 2001, Nr 62, poz. 627 z późn. zm.Wskaźniki Zrównoważonego Rozwoju, 2005, T. Borys (red.) Wydawnictwo Ekonomia i Środowisko, Warszawa-Białystok.Wskaźniki zrównoważonego rozwoju Polski 2011, 2011, Główny Urząd Statystyczny, Urząd Statystyczny Katowice, Katowice.Wskaźniki Zrównoważonego Rozwoju Polski, Urząd Statystyczny w Katowicach, http://wskaznikizrp.stat.gov.pl/.97-1142(80)9711

Justice through participation : student engagement in Nordic classrooms

In this article, we approach large questions regarding justice and equality in the Nordic classrooms. A substantial body of previous research emphasises the importance of student engagement in teaching and learning. Drawing on video data from Norway, Sweden and Finland, we focus on whole-class teaching, i.e. situa- tions in which the teacher addresses the class from the front of the classroom, to investigate justice trough participation. We have approached our topic through two concerns: student participation in classroom discourse and student engagement as providing access to content. Our findings seem to pose some serious chal- lenges for the Nordic welfare society vision of classrooms as core societal hubs for justice and equality. While whole-class teaching is one of the primary tools available for attempting to achieve justice and equality for all, this interaction format seems to contain inher- ent constraints that do not support equitable student engagement. Further, the way the Nordic classrooms have responded so far to the massive digitisation in their societies seems to pose serious questions rather than provide comforting answers.In this article, we approach large questions regarding justice and equality in the Nordic classrooms. A substantial body of previous research emphasises the importance of student engagement in teaching and learning. Drawing on video data from Norway, Sweden and Finland, we focus on whole-class teaching, i.e. situations in which the teacher addresses the class from the front of the classroom, to investigate justice trough participation. We have approached our topic through two concerns: student participation in classroom discourse and student engagement as providing access to content. Our findings seem to pose some serious challenges for the Nordic welfare society vision of classrooms as core societal hubs for justice and equality. While whole-class teaching is one of the primary tools available for attempting to achieve justice and equality for all, this interaction format seems to contain inherent constraints that do not support equitable student engagement. Further, the way the Nordic classrooms have responded so far to the massive digitisation in their societies seems to pose serious questions rather than provide comforting answersPeer reviewe

Stop Release in Polish English — Implications for Prosodic Constituency

Although there is little consensus on the relevance of non-contrastive allophonic processes in L2 speech acquisition, EFL pronunciation textbooks cover the suppression of stop release in coda position. The tendency for held stops in English is in stark opposition to a number of other languages, including Polish, in which plosive release is obligatory. This paper presents phonetic data on the acquisition of English unreleased stops by Polish learners. Results show that in addition to showing a tendency for the target language pattern of unreleased plosives, advanced learners may acquire more native-like VC formant transitions. From the functional perspective, languages with unreleased stops may be expected to have robust formant patterns on the final portion of the preceding vowel, which allow listeners to identify the final consonant when it lacks an audible release burst (see e.g. Wright 2004). From the perspective of syllabic positions, it may be said that ‘coda’ stops are obligatorily released in Polish, yet may be unreleased in English. Thus, the traditional term ‘coda’ is insufficient to describe the prosodic properties of post-vocalic stops in Polish and English. These differences may be captured in the Onset Prominence framework (Schwartz 2013). In languages with unreleased stops, the mechanism of submersion places post-vocalic stops at the bottom of the representational hierarchy where they may be subject to weakening. Submersion produces larger prosodic constituents and thus has phonological consequences beyond ‘coda’ behavior