Abstract
Neste trabalho, a partir de uma concepção dinâmica de aquisição fonético-fonológica de L2, investigamos a percepção (identificação e discriminação) e a produção dos padrões de Voice Onset Time (VOT) das plosivas iniciais do inglês por 32 aprendizes do Sul do Brasil. Partimos da premissa de que, sobretudo entre aprendizes com nível básico de proficiência, o VOT não se mostra como pista acústica prioritária para as distinções funcionais de sonoridade. Os resultados dos testes de percepção mostram que, independentemente do nível de proficiência dos aprendizes (básico ou avançado), o VOT tomado unicamente não se faz suficiente para a distinção entre /p/, /t/, /k/ e /b/, /d/, /g/. Tais resultados, que exercem influência sobre os dados de produção, corroboram uma visão dinâmica de aquisição de L2, a partir da qual múltiplas pistas acústicas agem em conjunto nas distinções entre sons, cabendo ao aprendiz saber selecionar aquelas pistas com caráter mais primordial no sistema a ser adquirido.
Highlights
The process of learning phonetic-phonological aspects of a second language (L2)1 is complex and dynamic, for many variables, acting conjointly, are fundamental to understand this process
In a previous pilot study, Alves and Zimmer (2012) suggested that among Brazilian learners Voice Onset Time (VOT) duration did not seem to be a fundamental cue for the distinction between voiced and voiceless stops in English, contrary to what is observed among native speakers of that language
Brazilian Portuguese speakers seem to pay more attention to other acoustic cues, such as burst intensity and the F0 value of the vowel following the stop, when establishing functional differences between voiceless and voiced plosives in English. This might account for the fact that Brazilian learners, even in advanced levels of proficiency, are not able to produce VOT patterns similar to the ones found among natives (ALVES; SCHWARTZHAUPT; BARATZ, 2011)
Summary
The process of learning phonetic-phonological aspects of a second language (L2) is complex and dynamic, for many variables, acting conjointly, are fundamental to understand this process. In English, voiceless plosives /p/, /t/, /k/ are produced with a long VOT interval, which is called Positive VOT (aspiration) This is the main phonetic cue employed in the distinction between voiceless and voiced stops (SCHWARTZHAUPT; ALVES; FONTES, 2013). Brazilian Portuguese speakers seem to pay more attention to other acoustic cues, such as burst intensity and the F0 value of the vowel following the stop, when establishing functional differences between voiceless and voiced plosives in English. This might account for the fact that Brazilian learners, even in advanced levels of proficiency, are not able to produce VOT patterns similar to the ones found among natives (ALVES; SCHWARTZHAUPT; BARATZ, 2011)
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