Week 7 Flashcards
Carr 15. (41 cards)
How is L2 acquisition defined in this chapter?
It is defined as the acquisition of a second language through classroom instruction, unlike L1 acquisition, which is not taught.
What is one major issue overlooked in this definition of L2 acquisition?
The distinction between delayed bilingual first language acquisition (BFLA) and early L2 acquisition in children.
Why is L2 acquisition generally more difficult than L1 acquisition?
Because L2 learners are often past the critical period, have existing language knowledge, and must overcome interference from their L1.
What is the Critical Period Hypothesis (CPH)?
The theory that humans can only acquire language natively within a biologically determined window, typically before puberty.
What is Chomsky’s view on language acquisition?
Chomsky views L1 acquisition as a form of biological growth enabled by an innate language module.
How does Sampson’s view differ from Chomsky’s?
Sampson sees language acquisition as a learning process based on general cognitive abilities like analogy, not innate modules.
What role does analogy play in L1 acquisition?
It helps children form rules based on patterns, like overgeneralizing regular plurals or past tense forms (e.g., “comed,” “sheeps”).
Why might the Critical Period Hypothesis not hold for L2 acquisition?
Because children in primary school (within the critical period) still struggle with L2, suggesting other factors like brain plasticity and interference matter more.
How does phonological interference from L1 affect L2 acquisition?
Existing phonemic systems and motor control for native sounds interfere with learning new sounds in the L2.
What are RP and GA in English phonology?
Received Pronunciation (RP) and General American (GA), the two main accents taught to L2 learners.
Why might GA be easier to learn than RP?
GA is rhotic and has fewer vowel phonemes, lacking the centering diphthongs of RP.
What type of speech sounds are problematic for Greek speakers learning English?
Postalveolar fricatives [ʃ, ʒ] and affricates [tʃ, dʒ], which do not exist in Greek.
What is the phonological challenge in addition to articulatory problems?
Learners must also learn to perceive and distinguish unfamiliar phonemic contrasts.
Why is the English /r/ difficult for many L2 learners?
It is realized as a postalveolar approximant, which is rare across languages.
How do Japanese learners typically pronounce English /r/ and /l/?
They use their native tapped [ɾ] for /r/, and may substitute [ɾ] for /l/ due to lack of [l] in Japanese.
What are common L2 pronunciation errors made by French and German speakers?
Substitution of dental fricatives [θ] and [ð] with [s], [z], or dental stops [t], [d]; difficulty with [h]; use of uvular [ʁ] for English /r/.
What is hypercorrection in L2 phonology?
Inserting sounds like [h] where they don’t belong (e.g., “halways” for “always”), in an effort to correct for previous mispronunciations.
Why do German speakers often say “vei” for “way”?
Because German lacks the /w/ phoneme and substitutes it with /v/.
What issue arises from final-obstruent devoicing in languages like German, Dutch, and Russian?
Learners may devoice final voiced obstruents in English, saying “crowd” with a final [t].
What is flapping in General American (GA) English?
It’s the pronunciation of /t/ as a quick tap [ɾ] in words like “witty” → [‘wɪɾi].
Is flapping occurring among young RP speakers?
Yes, it’s increasingly common due to GA influence through media.
Should flapping in RP be discouraged in L2 learners?
No, because it’s becoming more common in modern RP speech.
Where is glottal stop acceptable in RP according to the text?
In coda position and after syllabic nasals, e.g., “didn’t” [ˈdɪʔn̩t].
, unlike English.
