2008/01/23

Trofimovich, P. & Backer, W. (2007). Learning prosody and fluency characteristics of second language speech: the effect of experience on child learners’ acquisition of five suprasegments. Applied Psycholinguistics, 28, 251-276.

Presentation: Sally
Summary: Chris

This paper investigated whether second language experiences affect children’s acquisition of fluency-based and prosody-based suprasegmentals. More specifically, the goal was to examine whether phonological learning of L2 suprasegmentals was similar to that of L2 segments. Two groups of Korean children who learned English as their L2 participated in this study. Their years of learning English varied (1 year vs. 11 years). The task was to produce English sentences. Their fluency in L2 prosody was rated afterwards by native speakers regarding how native-like the L2 speakers were. Result showed that more L2 experiences facilitated L2 learners’ prosodic performances. The longer one learned an L2, the more accurately he approached the native-like prosodic patterns.   

For those who had been learning English for more than 11 years, they approximated the norm of native speakers in terms of frequency, duration of pausing, stress-timing patterns, and peak alignment. The only exception was speech rate. The authors therefore concluded that there were similarities between L2 segment acquisition and L2 suprasegment acquisition. Both were gradual processes, and mastering in any of the two required extended amount of L2 experiences.