Laurence White - Rhythm L1 L2 - UAB Barcelona.PPT

How does first language influence second language rhythm?Laurence White and Sven Mattys Experimental Psychology Bristol University Overview Background: Speech rhythm and “rhythm classes”. New speech rhythm metrics. Speech production study: Do new rhythm metrics serve to illustrate the influence of first language on second language rhythm? Overview Background: Speech rhythm and “rhythm classes”. New speech rhythm metrics. Speech production study: Do new rhythm metrics serve to illustrate the influence of first language on second language rhythm? Spanish English L1/L2 results: Variance-based metrics All speakers:Effect of speech rate on ΔV Spanish English L1/L2 results: Rate normalised ΔV and %V Interpretation of rhythm metrics Rhythmic distinctions can be seen as arising from specific segmental and prosodic processes: Rhythm as emergent property rather than product of top-down timing control. Variation within “rhythm classes” sometimes as large as between. Suggests distinction is not simply bimodal. Further research: How do rhythm metrics relate to the subjective experience of linguistic rhythm? *   Rhythm (music, speech, etc.) arises from the repetition of related sounds. In English speech, rhythm arises from repetition of stressed syllables. I did not have sexual relations with that woman – Miss Lewinsky. In Spanish, there is much less contrast between stressed and unstressed syllables. A pocos pasos de mi casa está una tienda bonita. Traditional distinction: Syllable-timed languages (e.g. Romance). Stress-timed languages (e.g. Germanic). Background: Rhythm Stress-timing vs syllable-timing Stress-timed languages: isochrony? sleep.ing. soundly vs sleep.il.y. re.searches Stress-timing is alternation rather than regularity: Greater differences between stressed and unstressed syllables… including: Vowel reduction. More complex consonant clusters, particularly in stressed syllable onsets and codas. e.g. (s)(t)(r)a(n)(