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

Immediate and Distracted Imitation in Second-Language Speech: Unreleased Plosives in English

The paper investigates immediate and distracted imitation in second-language speech using unreleased plosives. Unreleased plosives are fairly frequently found in English sequences of two stops. Polish, on the other hand, is characterised by a significant rate of releases in such sequences. This cross-linguistic difference served as material to look into how and to what extent non-native properties of sounds can be produced in immediate and distracted imitation. Thirteen native speakers of Polish first read and then imitated sequences of words with two stops straddling the word boundary. Stimuli for imitation had no release of the first stop. The results revealed that (1) a non-native feature such as the lack of the release burst can be imitated; (2) distracting imitation impedes imitative performance; (3) the type of a sequence interacts with the magnitude of an imitative effec

Dynamic Targets in the Acquisition of L2 English Vowels

This paper presents acoustic data on the dynamic properties of the FLEECE and TRAP vowels in the speech of two groups of Polish users of English. Results reveal that the more proficient group users, made up of teachers and professors with professional-level proficiency in English, produce more dramatic patterns of formant movement, reminiscent of native productions, than first year students. It is argued that vowel inherent spectral change (VISC) is an inherent aspect of English phonology, originated in interactions between vowels and neighboring consonants, and later generalized to the vowel system as a whole. By contrast, Polish is a language with a minimal role of VISC. Consequently, successful acquisition of L2 English vowels involves not only the mastery of vowels in F1- F2 space, but also formant trajectories over time

Zagrożenie terroryzmem oraz aspekt militarny w jego zwalczaniu

 TERRORIST THREATS AND THE MILITARY ASPECT IN COMBATING THEMIn his article the author examines the problem of terrorist threats. Terrorism, playing an important role in the military environment, increasingly becomes the main threat in any conflict, influencing the functioning of the state. The methods of combating terrorism employed by NATO forces and the EU security system add another dimension to military operations. Experience from Iraq or Afghanistan indicates that in combating terrorism the key to victory lies primarily in intelligence information exchange as well as new operational techniques and procedures. Methods of fighting terrorism constantly evolve as a result of new trends and ways of operating used by terrorists. TERRORIST THREATS AND THE MILITARY ASPECT IN COMBATING THEMIn his article the author examines the problem of terrorist threats. Terrorism, playing an important role in the military environment, increasingly becomes the main threat in any conflict, influencing the functioning of the state. The methods of combating terrorism employed by NATO forces and the EU security system add another dimension to military operations. Experience from Iraq or Afghanistan indicates that in combating terrorism the key to victory lies primarily in intelligence information exchange as well as new operational techniques and procedures. Methods of fighting terrorism constantly evolve as a result of new trends and ways of operating used by terrorists

Information in the aspect of security threats and challenges

 INFORMATION IN THE ASPECT OF SECURITY THREATS AND CHALLENGESIn the article, the author describes the driving force behind deliberate informational activities. He pays particular attention to the current security situation in the information dimension. Existing systems in the area of security management should be resistant to disinformation and informational operations. There is no room for the freedom of interpretation of the information acquired since every decision results in the actions of people, therefore it requires accuracy and caution. This issue takes on a special dimension when it concerns the state, because this environment contains specific features such as a changing environment, time scarcity and often verified information. Only efficient management of information processes can have a positive impact on the development and elimination of state threats. Actions involving psychological or informational influence may also be carried out by other entities, state-owned, non-state and private, including those located on their own territory. First and foremost, our security depends on ourselves and by taking it into special consideration we also increase the state’s resilience to internal and external threats. INFORMATION IN THE ASPECT OF SECURITY THREATS AND CHALLENGESIn the article, the author describes the driving force behind deliberate informational activities. He pays particular attention to the current security situation in the information dimension. Existing systems in the area of security management should be resistant to disinformation and informational operations. There is no room for the freedom of interpretation of the information acquired since every decision results in the actions of people, therefore it requires accuracy and caution. This issue takes on a special dimension when it concerns the state, because this environment contains specific features such as a changing environment, time scarcity and often verified information. Only efficient management of information processes can have a positive impact on the development and elimination of state threats. Actions involving psychological or informational influence may also be carried out by other entities, state-owned, non-state and private, including those located on their own territory. First and foremost, our security depends on ourselves and by taking it into special consideration we also increase the state’s resilience to internal and external threats

Threats to State Security in the Aspect of Disinformation

Information in the aspect of security plays a significant role in influencing the spectrum of the functioning of the state. In today’s information chaos, information has become a tool of manipulation and disinformation, also used in the implementation of strategic goals of a given country. States can thus achieve their strategic goals because it is less costly, more difficult to detect, and allows some sort of manipulation of the rationale behind such actions. Such countries include countries for which democracy is only a concept. It can be indicated that information is a raw material that, in the process of manipulation and disinformation, becomes a kind of a tool that can be used in a targeted way. The issue of fighting disinformation is of key importance today

Terroryzm w obliczu bezpieczeństwa państwa

 TERRORISM IN THE FACE OF STATE SECURITYThe article focuses on the issue of the threat of terrorism. Terrorism plays a vital role in the environment, gradually becoming a major threat to any conflict affecting the functioning of the state. Experience has shown that in the fight against terrorism, the key to victory is the exchange of intelligence and new techniques and procedures for action. Anti-terrorism methods are continually evolving as a result of new trends and ways in which terrorist activities are carried out. TERRORISM IN THE FACE OF STATE SECURITYThe article focuses on the issue of the threat of terrorism. Terrorism plays a vital role in the environment, gradually becoming a major threat to any conflict affecting the functioning of the state. Experience has shown that in the fight against terrorism, the key to victory is the exchange of intelligence and new techniques and procedures for action. Anti-terrorism methods are continually evolving as a result of new trends and ways in which terrorist activities are carried out

Information as basis for planning

W artykule została zawarta analiza informacji jako podstawowego determinantu w procesie planistycznym. Przedstawiono napotkane w literaturze definicje oraz znaczenia pojęcia informacji. Autor opisuje wartości informacji wpływających na proces decyzyjThis article contains the analysis of information as the fundamental determinant in the planning process. The article presents the definitions used in the literature and the meanings of the notion of information. The author describes the values of information and its influence on the decision- making process