Abstract
Studies of prosodic disambiguation in second language (L2) production can help to explain and illustrate the development of a learner's L2 prosody. Using a reading aloud task at sentence level, the present study investigated whether Taiwanese English learners produce prosodic boundaries to disambiguate syntactically ambiguous sentences in a way similar to native English speakers when informed of the ambiguities in advance. Also, the study groped into the relationship between English proficiency level and L2 English prosodic disambiguation. Results showed that advanced English learners, like native speakers, intentionally lengthened the pause durations of relevant boundaries to express the appropriate meaning of an ambiguous utterance, whereas limited English learners did not. The findings support a developmental stage of L2 English prosody. Additionally, explicit instruction of syntax and prosody is suggested to cultivate the capacities of perceiving and producing L2 English prosodic disambiguation.
Published Version
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