Orthography-induced transfer in the production of English-speaking learners of Spanish

Abstract

This article reports on a study on the effect of orthography on L1-based phonological transfer in L2 production in 40 novice English-speaking learners of Spanish. In particular, the role of auditory-orthographic training and production and the influence of grapheme-to-phoneme correspondences are examined. Data elicited via a picture-naming task reveal a robust effect of orthography on phonological transfer leading to non-target-like productions at the very beginning stages of second language acquisition. There is also strong evidence that condition of training and production as well as the type of grapheme-to-phoneme correspondence determine the quantity of transfer. The difference in the quantity of transfer between the individual grapheme-to-phoneme correspondences is explained in light of salience and frequency effects. Pedagogical implications of the findings are also discussed.