The Acquisition of English Intonation by Japanese Elementary Learners: Effects of a Phonological Constraint

Abstract

Although the first stage of the acquisition of English intonation by Japanese learners has been anecdotally described in literature, detailed data from case studies have not been presented. In this study, some characteristics of the interlanguage phonological system are described based on the result of a preliminary experiment on elementary- level subjects. It is argued that there is a phonological constraint, which hinders the learner from proceeding further. It is also claimed that the three parameters composing English stress, namely intensity, pitch and duration, are acquired individually, and that elementary learners rely on pitch alone. Finally, it is suggested that the acquisition of intonation is a process wherein the learner overcomes and attains a command of different types of constraints.