Phonological Differences Research Articles

Impact of Chinese Dialects on Language Transfer in Second Language Acquisition

Abstract: The phenomenon of language transfer has long been a core topic of investigation in the fields of applied linguistics, second language (L2) acquisition, and language teaching. Due to the vastness of China, there is a wide variety of dialects that are spoken throughout the country, each with distinctive traits that set them apart from standard Chinese in terms of vocabulary, phonology, and syntax. It is evident that these dialects, such as Cantonese and Hokkien (Min dialects), exhibit notable differences in phonology and pronunciation. Moreover, they are distinguished by their unique expressions, grammatical structures, and idioms. In the process of learning English as a second language (ESL), native Chinese speakers studying English are susceptible to the influence of dialects, which may result in either positive or negative language transfer effects. In this paper, through the method of literature review, the development and current status of transfer theory in second language acquisition are discussed in depth, with emphasis on the positive and negative transfer effects of dialects in the process of second language acquisition. Furthermore, the paper explores the practical impact of the transfer phenomenon on students English phonological learning and teachers English phonological teaching, aiming at optimizing learning strategies and helping learners to enhance their language learning ability and improve the efficiency of language learning.

A missed regular sound change between Latin and French

Abstract This paper presents evidence for a regular sound change in 12th-century Old French where word-initial /k/ voiced to /ɡ/ before /la/ or /ra/. My treatment is the first to propose a unified account, as due to a regular sound change, for 13 reflexes of inherited etyma and 4 reflexes of Germanic borrowings that all exhibit velar onset voicing (VOV) contemporaneously. A dating in the late 12th century for VOV is supported by both corpus evidence and how it is bled, counterbled, and fed by other sound changes whose dating is established in prior literature. The ultimate origins of this Old French velar onset voicing most likely lie in an older and phonetically conditioned synchronic voicing process that originally operated both word-internally and at boundaries. Word-internally, where conditioning was static, the alternation became a phonemic difference and thereafter lost productivity relatively early. But synchronic alternation continued at boundaries, where its conditioning continued to depend on the adjacent word. It survived in a progressively reshaped manner word-initially, until the late 12th century, when this voicing alternation, now much narrower in scope, gave rise to VOV as a regular diachronic sound change. Previous treatment of the words in question considered each only in isolation, bypassing the chance to consider the proposed regular sound change as a possibility. Thus, this study shows the importance of considering both lexically focused approaches and the probing for regular sound changes as necessarily complementary methods.

Dialectology Landscape: Duano Sea Tribe Communication at Jambi Province

Duano language in Sabak and Tungkal is included into the extinct language category. One way to avoid language extinction is through language revitalization or language documentation. The purpose of this research is to ascertain and explain the proto language and the kinship of Duano tribe in Sabak and Tungkal through dialectology. Then, language documentation is carried out to look at all related aspects from cognate to morpheme positioning. The writers used Proto Malayic from Adelaar (1992) as IPD instrument, The data sources are Duano language from Sabak and Tungkal regencies spoken by 10 respondents. This is a qualitative study. The data were collected through interview, note-taking, recording, and documentation. Then, they were analyzed comparatively. This research found 920 zero data, 510 lexical differences data, 1210 cognate, and 570 phonological differences data. This showed that almost 50% of the data has zero difference, which means they have the same vocabulary. Then, phonological difference is 7.01% indicating that the two languages are different Speech. Meanwhile, lexical difference is 35.29% implying that the two are different subdialects, The relationship between the two regions is very close., the number of vocabularies that belong to vocabulary shift was higher than the vocabulary maintenance. This means that language extinction is very high, especially in the Tungkal area.

THE IMPORTANCE OF TEACHING ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION BY USING ENGLISH IN MIND TEXTBOOK

Pronunciation is one of the important elements of basic speaking skills. It is related to how human beings produce sounds by using their articulatory organs of speech. Pronunciation plays an important role in communication to avoid pronunciation errors that can lead to misunderstandings in communication between the speaker and the listener. This fact points out that learning pronunciation is very important for English Foreign Language (EFL) and English as a Second Language (ESL) learners. An appropriate English textbook is needed to facilitate learners’ needs as foreign language learners. Indonesia’s Government, through the Ministry of Education and Culture, has appointed English in Mind as one of the main English textbooks for the Independence Curriculum, especially at the Junior High School level. This study aims to analyze the distribution of both consonant and vowel phonemes found in English in Mind, to evaluate the content and to find out whether this book has accommodated all the materials needed by teachers for teaching English pronunciation. In this study, the researcher used a qualitative research methodology that focused on descriptive qualitative. The data is needed by using a literature study and interview. A literature study was used to gather all data required for the analysis of consonant and vowel phoneme distribution. The data are taken from an English in Mind textbook, Students’ Book 1. Meanwhile, the interview was established to get more insight from the English teachers related to the importance of teaching pronunciation, the impact of phoneme differences in Indonesia and English, factors affecting pronunciation learning, pronunciation learning strategies, and the use of English in Mind textbook in teaching English pronunciation. In this research, it was found that some consonant and vowel phonemes in English could not be found at the initial and final of the English in Mind textbook. The consonant and vowel sounds are /ŋ/, /ʒ/, /ʊ/, /u:/, /w/, /j/, /h/, /æ/, /e/, /ɜ:/, /ʌ/, and /ɒ/. Meanwhile, there are all consonant and vowel phoneme sounds found in the middle part. Based on the interview results, all informants agreed that teaching English pronunciation is important to be taught to learners in the classroom. Then, the differences between Indonesian and English phonemes can affect learners’ pronunciation skills. They always include English pronunciation material in every lesson in the classroom. In addition, there are differences from the informants regarding teaching English pronunciation through the English in Mind textbook. Furthermore, all informants shared the same opinion that they had encountered pronunciation mistakes made by learners.

¿Soy de Ribera o Rivera?: Sociolinguistic /b/-/v/ Variation in Rivera Spanish

This study investigates the impact of language contact on three generations of bilingual Spanish and Uruguayan Portuguese speakers in Rivera City, Uruguay, located on the Uruguayan–Brazilian border. Focusing on the confirmed presence of the Portuguese-like/b/and/v/phonemic distinction, and the lower frequency of the Montevideo Spanish-like approximantized stops in Riverense Spanish (RS), the research examines the production of <v> and <b> in 29 female Rivera Spanish bilinguals belonging to different age groups. More specifically, the aim was to see if the previously observed differential use of language-specific phonological variants could be accounted for by using precise measurements of relative intensity, duration, and voicing coupled with a distributional analysis of realizations derived from auditory coding. At the same time, their production is compared to that of 30 monolingual Montevideo Spanish (MS) speakers, who served as the control group, offering a first description of the production of <v> and <b> within this distinct Rioplatense Spanish variety. Riverense’s higher overall relative intensity, duration, and voicing values support auditory coding results, providing evidence of the expected phonological differences between both Uruguayan Spanish varieties. In particular, an exclusive presence of fricative/v/and less approximantization of/b/in RS speech exposed the influence of Portuguese in Rivera bilinguals and their divergence from MS. In addition, as predicted, the findings reveal a higher presence of Portuguese-like productions of [v] and [b] in older bilinguals when compared to younger generations. This illustrates a continuum from Portuguese-like forms to Spanish-like forms, which is confirmed by both acoustic and distributional analyses. Finally, evidence of the existence of innovative forms resulting from mixing Portuguese and Spanish phonological systems in RS are presented. This study’s findings contribute to sociolinguistics and bilingualism by exposing cross-linguistic influence in a border setting with rigorous analytical methods that offer reliable results and go beyond a basic analysis based on auditory identification.

Associations of Primary Spoken Language With Individual Perception of Hearing-Related Disability.

Hispanic/Latino adults are less likely than non-Hispanic White adults to seek treatment for hearing disability. While differential socioeconomic factors may contribute to this finding, differences in phonology and syntax in the Spanish, versus English, language may also influence patient perception of hearing disability. The objective of this study is to investigate the association between primary language spoken and participant perception of hearing disability. This study represents a cross-sectional cohort study using National Health and Nutrition Examination Study cycles 2015-2016 and 2017-2020 data. Multivariable logistic regressions estimated the association between respondent-selected interview language, which was used as a proxy for primary spoken language, and participant perception of hearing disability. Models were adjusted for age, gender, highest degree of education, pure-tone average, and self-reported general health. Participants included 4687 individuals from the United States population who elected to speak English (n = 4083) or Spanish (n = 604) during the interview. Perception of hearing disability was assessed by (1) frequency of reported difficulty in following a conversation in noise, (2) frequency with which hearing caused respondents to experience frustration when talking with members of their family or friends, and (3) participants' subjective overall assessment of their hearing. Speaking Spanish, versus English, as a primary language was associated with a 42% lower odds of reporting difficulty hearing and understanding in background noise (odds ratio [OR]: 0.58, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.48 to 0.70). Spanish speakers had 28% lower odds of reporting feeling frustrated when talking to family members or friends due to hearing (OR: 0.72, 95% CI: 0.59 to 0.88) as compared with the English-speaking cohort. Speaking Spanish additionally conferred 31% lower odds of describing their own general hearing as "a little trouble to deaf" than participants speaking English (OR: 0.69, 95% CI: 0.53 to 0.90). These observed associations were independent of age, gender, highest degree of education, better pure-tone average? and self-reported general health. Primary Spanish speakers may be less likely than English speakers to report hearing-related disability, an effect which may be independent of ethnicity. Patient perception of hearing-related disability is an important component of the assessment of and counseling for hearing-related disability and discussion of the need for amplification or other hearing intervention.

Left motor cortex contributes to auditory phonological discrimination.

Evidence suggests that the articulatory motor system contributes to speech perception in a context-dependent manner. This study tested 2 hypotheses using magnetoencephalography: (i) the motor cortex is involved in phonological processing, and (ii) it aids in compensating for speech-in-noise challenges. A total of 32 young adults performed a phonological discrimination task under 3 noise conditions while their brain activity was recorded using magnetoencephalography. We observed simultaneous activation in the left ventral primary motor cortex and bilateral posterior-superior temporal gyrus when participants correctly identified pairs of syllables. This activation was significantly more pronounced for phonologically different than identical syllable pairs. Notably, phonological differences were resolved more quickly in the left ventral primary motor cortex than in the left posterior-superior temporal gyrus. Conversely, the noise level did not modulate the activity in frontal motor regions and the involvement of the left ventral primary motor cortex in phonological discrimination was comparable across all noise conditions. Our results show that the ventral primary motor cortex is crucial for phonological processing but not for compensation in challenging listening conditions. Simultaneous activation of left ventral primary motor cortex and bilateral posterior-superior temporal gyrus supports an interactive model of speech perception, where auditory and motor regions shape perception. The ventral primary motor cortex may be involved in a predictive coding mechanism that influences auditory-phonetic processing.

A Review of the Influence of Wu Dialect on English Pronunciation Acquisition

The Wu dialect is widely spoken in Wu-speaking regions of China, which covers a considerable number of English learners. However, the phonetic system of the Wu dialect differs significantly from that of English, which greatly affects the English learning process of Wu-speaking learners, thus attracting numerous researchers to conduct related studies. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of research on the influence of Wu dialect on English phonological learning over the past two decades and presents a selection of twenty-seven papers to explore the theoretical framework, the research methodology, and the specific impacts encountered by English language learners who speak Wu dialect. Among them, the theoretical discussion centered on language transfer theory, Fleges Speech Learning Model and Bests Perceptual Assimilation Model; the research methodology consisted of qualitative analysis and empirical study; and the focus was placed on positive and negative transfer effects, i.e., the challenges posed by the absence or presence of phonological differences in the Wu dialect to the learners of English. The findings reveal significant segmental and suprasegmental influences in English pronunciation acquisition, with segmental challenges including differentiation of consonants and incomplete articulation of vowels, and suprasegmental challenges including stress placement, intonation patterns, and phonological rhythm. In addition, the discussion highlights the need for more empirical studies to supplement qualitative analyses, the consideration of regional variations within Wu dialect, and the exploration of teaching strategies informed by research findings. Therefore, the paper advocates for future research focusing on regional differences, deeper exploration of suprasegmental influences, integration of research into teaching practices, and diversified research methods.

The moderating role of L2 proficiency in the predictive power of L1 fluency on L2 utterance fluency

The current study examined the extent to which first language (L1) utterance fluency measures can predict second language (L2) fluency and how L2 proficiency moderates the relationship between L1 and L2 fluency. A total of 104 Japanese-speaking learners of English completed different argumentative speech tasks in their L1 and L2. Their speaking performance was analysed using measures of speed, breakdown, and repair fluency. L2 proficiency was operationalised as cognitive fluency. Two factor scores of cognitive fluency—linguistic resources and processing speed—were computed based on performance in a set of linguistic knowledge tests capturing vocabulary knowledge, morphosyntactic processing, and articulatory skills. A series of generalised linear mixed-effects models revealed small-to-moderate effect sizes for the predictive power of L1 utterance fluency measures on their L2 counterparts. Moderator effects of L2 proficiency were found only in speed fluency measures. The relationship between L1 and L2 speed fluency was weaker for L2 learners with wider L2 linguistic resources. Conversely, for those with faster L2 processing speed, the L1-L2 link tended to be stronger. These findings indicate that the L1-L2 fluency link is subject to the complex interplay of phonological differences between learners’ L1 and L2 and their L2 proficiency, offering implications for diagnostic speaking assessment.

A module for automatic analysis of burst spectra for consonant place detection

Widespread methods for automatic speech processing have become increasingly powerful, but they do not aim to model aspects of human speech processing. Previous research has shown that individual acoustic cues are important in human speech perception. Developing a model that is capable of identifying individual acoustic cues in speech enhances our ability to extract meaningful information from a speech signal, irrespective of speaker variations or phonemic differences, in a way that provides a transparent and testable model of human speech processing. This research investigates a module for automatic analysis of the spectral burst cue in fricative and plosive speech sounds. The method determines the place of articulation of the spectral burst by utilizing spectral moment measurements near locations where a spectral burst is likely to occur as features in a Gaussian mixture model. This research lays the groundwork for a dynamic model that is developed to be consistent with the Bayesian belief updating framework, in alignment with prior work in human speech perception.

A Comparison of Urdu and Punjabi First language Interference on English as Second Language

This study examines errors in ESL students focusing on those who speak Urdu and Punjabi as their first languages. It uses Optimality Theory (OT) as a framework to explore the interaction between markedness and faithfulness constraints within OT. The study employs a mixed methods approach, including surveys and audio recordings from 30 participants (15 Urdu speakers and 15 Punjabi speakers). Three phonological factors are investigated; stress patterns, pronunciation of interdental /th/ and differentiation between bilabial /w/ and labiodental /v/. The data analysis, presented through bar graphs and interpreted using OT reveals nuanced patterns of errors. Notably Punjabi L1 speakers demonstrate a frequency of mistakes suggesting impact from their first language. This research significantly contributes to understanding the dynamics of language interference by shedding light on how phonological differences, among Urdu, Punjabi and English influence specific pronunciation errors. The findings hold educational ramifications for ESL teachers looking to upgrade language instructions custom-made to the phonological backgrounds of their students.

An Articulatory Analysis Of English Consonants Produced By Pashto Native Speakers Of Different Dialects

This perceptual study explores the challenges faced by Pashto ESL learners in articulating nine English consonants. The study focuses on identifying the most problematic sounds and providing a learnable solution. Previous studies examined around six troublesome consonantal sounds, however, this perceptual and productive study focuses on the targeted consonantal sounds. The primary goal of the study is to determine why Khilji, Khatak, and Afridi dialects of Pashto speakers struggle with these sounds. The study examines the phonetic and phonological differences between the two languages and how these disparities affect the articulation of Pashto native speakers. The study is designed based on the Contrastive Analysis Theory formulated by Lado (1967). For this, nine consonants were selected for recording, which include the voiceless labio-dental fricative /f/, the voiced labio-dental fricative /v/, the voiceless dental fricative /θ/, the voiced dental fricative /ð/, the voiced post-alveolar fricative /ʒ/, the voiceless velar stop /k/, the voiceless alveolar ridge stop /t/, the voiced labio-velar approximant /w/ and the voiced alveolar stop /d/. By utilizing the purposive sampling technique, six participants were selected from colleges and universities in Karachi speaking three different dialects of Pashto. Pashto speakers recorded the speech stimuli as per protocols of the study. The results reveal that Pashto ESL learners find the voiceless labio-dental fricative /f/, voiceless velar stop /k/, voiceless alveolar ridge stop /t/, and voiced alveolar stop /d/ less challenging to articulate. On the other hand, the most problematic sounds were voiced and voiceless inter-dental fricatives /θ/ and /ð/, voiced labio-dental fricative /v/, voiced Alveo-palatal fricative /ʒ/ and voiced labio-velar approximant /w/. The finding reveals that the difference in sound systems between the two languages and the absence of sounds in their native language cause Pashto native speakers to have difficulty in pronouncing these sounds. The finding is not in line with the previous studies in terms of articulation variations on account of dialectal features.

Variation as Christian Identity Marker in Egypt: A Sociolinguistic Study

This study explores how variation marks the religious identity of the Egyptian Christians and helps in describing the present sociolinguistic landscape in Egypt. Data for this study has been collected from Christian friends, students, and neighbors as well as Christian T.V. programs and videos. Data has shown significant lexical and phonological differences in expressing common religious concepts, ritual expressions, and names. These differences, which depend mainly on synonyms, paraphrasing, loanwords, and pronunciation, constitute a shibboleth in Egypt. The study has revealed that not only is variation regional or social, but religious as well. Moreover, the colloquial lexis and non-standard speech forms that Christians use contradict Ferguson’s claim that the highly codified variety of diglossic languages is always used in giving sermons. Although the variation is not that substantiative and does not impede understanding, the study has pointed out that there is a religious-based dialect differentiation in Egypt and the Egyptian Christians could be classified as bidialectal to some extent. The ultimate goal of this variation is to mark themselves as a different religious group in an Islamic society. The plethora of the Arabic lexis and expressions and the diglossic nature of Arabic enabled the Egyptian Christians to easily communicate with Muslims and simultaneously preserve their socioreligious identity.

Revisiting the sub-dialect classification of the Manggarai language in the West Manggarai Regency

This study investigates sub-dialect variation of the Manggarai language spoken in the West Manggarai Regency. We surveyed ten sample survey sites and asked informants for 200 Swadesh word lists. The data was analyzed by formulating a sound correspondence system based on phonological differences between survey sites, resulting in a sub-dialect classification map. We conclude that there are three variations of the Manggarai language in West Manggarai: The Kempo sub-dialect (MSdK) which covers the districts of Komodo, Mbeliling, and Sano Nggoang; Kolang sub-dialect (MSdS>H) which is spoken in the sub-districts of Pacar, Macang Pacar, Kuwus and Kuwus Barat; This classification is proven by the sound correspondence between MSdK and MSdS>H, such as [e] – [e̯], [i] – [iə], [k] – [ʔ], [s] – [h], [c] – [s], and [h] – [ɣ]. There is also transition area sub-dialect (TAS), which classify the districts of Lembor, Lembor Selatan, Welak, Boleng, and Ndoso in the same group, showing the emergence of all linguistic features in the form of sound correspondences in the two sub-dialects with certain conditions need to be considered. This classification confirms the validity and provides evidence for the sub-dialect groupings carried out by Verheijen and refutes the Language Development and Fostering Agency, Ministry of Education and Culture, Indonesia, which is not based on scientific evidence.

Perbedaan Fonologi Bahasa Indonesia Dan Bahasa Jerman

This study aims to find out the differences contained in. German phonological system, Indonesian phonological system. This place of research is not tied to one place because the objects studied are in the form of text, namely Indonesian journals and German. This form of research is qualitative descriptive with content analysis method. The results of this study that Indonesian and German phonological differences are seen in the number of vowel and consonant phonemes. The Indonesian vocal system has five vowel phonemes. German has a relatively more diverse vowel variant than other languages, there are 15 vowels in total. The difference between Indonesian and German consonant phonemes lies in the phonemes /ɔ/ʊ/, /ɛ:/ and /ɛ/, /ø:/and also /œ/ which are not present in Indonesian. Differences in Indonesian and German phonology can make it difficult for Indonesian speakers to understand German, and vice versa.

Лексическо-семантические параллели в кыргызском и алтайском языках (этимология родства и тела человека)

The purpose of the article is to use the example of the etymology of words related to family relationships and the human body to show the general and special in the basic vocabulary of modern Kyrgyz and Altai languages. The author translated 113 words from Kyrgyz and Altai dictionaries. These words were clarified among speakers of the Kyrgyz and Altai languages. The work reveals for the first time different meanings of the basic vocabulary of these languages that were not previously recorded in the dictionary. Its analysis revealed a large number of completely or partially matching words with the same meanings. Some words have meanings specific to each of the languages being compared. Phonological differences were discovered (using some consonants, some vowels and long vowels), as well as slight differences in the use of some words. A hypothesis has been put forward that the features of the lexical fund of the Altai language were formed under the influence of the languages of other peoples of Siberia.

Geografi Dialek Bahasa Dayak di Kecamatan Sepauk Hulu Kabupaten Sintang Provinsi Kalimantan Barat

This research on dialect geography applies a synchronic comparative linguistic approach with interpretations based on historical linguistic differentiation. The study, which focuses on phonological and lexical aspects, was conducted to determine the linguistic distance between the Dayak languages used by the people who identify themselves as Sekubang and Seberuang residing in the Sepauk Hulu District. The data presented and discussed in this study consist of responses from 21 research informants related to 829 lexical question glosses. This data was obtained through interviews conducted by the researcher with research informants in each observation area. The method used in data analysis is the synchronic comparative method, applying dialectometric formulas and inter-village triangles. The results of the data analysis, which disregards phonological differences between observation areas, show differences in dialect, subdialect, and speech. Based on the analysis and findings in this study, it can be concluded that the Sekubang and Seberuang languages are the same. However, locally, they identify themselves as separate languages. Therefore, to affirm the similarity between these two Dayak variants, the term "Seberuang language" is introduced as a replacement for the names of both languages. This designation is based on the schematic depiction of the broader Seberuang language usage area compared to the Sekubang language usage area.

Phonological Differences Across Varieties of Latin American Spanish

Latin America is a diverse linguistic landscape, evident in the extensive phonological variations within its dominant language, Spanish. This study explores the phonological diversity across Latin American Spanish dialects, including processes such as lateralization and weakening of the /ɾ/ and /l/ phonemes, elisions and reductions of the /s/ consonant, and changes in nasal sounds (/n/, /m/, and /ɲ/) within specific linguistic contexts. Understanding these linguistic differences fosters a fresh perspective on Latin Americans from diverse backgrounds. The study considers demographic and socioeconomic factors that shape these variations and their connection to shared historical and cultural aspects. Information from online corpora and previous studies on Latin American Spanish phonology identifies repetitive phonological processes, comparing them across dialects to determine commonalities and differences. Understanding these phonological processes is critical for dispelling stigmas and contributing to bilingual education, mainly in regions where Spanish is learned as a second language. Educators exposed to the diversity of Latin American Spanish can create inclusive learning environments that accommodate students from various backgrounds and dialects.

Perbandingan Fonologi Pada Bahasa Indonesia Dan Bahasa Jepang

Phonology is a branch of linguistics that studies the sound system of language and examines the rules that regulate the use of language sounds based on their characteristics, such as articulation, frequency, duration, and intensity. This research discusses "Phonological Differences in Indonesian and Japanese." The aim of this research is to obtain data and information about the differences in phonology between Indonesian and Japanese. The research method used is a literature study by collecting scientific articles and journals from various relevant sources as material for comparative analysis between the phonological systems of Indonesian and Japanese. The findings of this research indicate that there are significant differences between the phonologies of Indonesian and Japanese. The implication of this research is that it is important to understand the differences in Indonesian and Japanese phonology, which can provide benefits in teaching and learning both languages in the future.

Development of sign phonology in Kata Kolok.

Much like early speech, early signing is characterised by modifications. Sign language phonology has been analysed on the feature level since the 1980s, yet acquisition studies predominately examine handshape, location, and movement. This study is the first to analyse the acquisition of phonology in the sign language of a Balinese village with a vibrant signing community and applies the same feature analysis to adult and child data. We analyse longitudinal data of four deaf children from the Kata Kolok Child Signing Corpus. The form comparison of child productions and adult targets yields three main findings: i) handshape modifications are most frequent, echoing cross-linguistic patterns; ii) modification rates of other features differ from previous studies, possibly due to differences in methodology or KK's phonology; iii) co-occurrence of modifications within a sign suggest feature interdependencies. We argue that nuanced approaches to child signing are necessary to understand the complexity of early signing.