Native English speakers learning German as a second language: Devoicing of final voiced stop targets

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• 作者：Bruce L. Smith ; ^{bruce.smith@hsc.utah.edu} ; Elizabeth A. Peterson
• 刊名：Journal of Phonetics
• 出版年：2012
• 出版时间：January 2012
• 年：2012
• 卷：40
• 期：1
• 页码：129-140
• 全文大小：609 K

文摘

In contrast to German and other languages that devoice underlying word-final, voiced obstruent targets, English maintains a surface contrast between voiced and voiceless obstruents. The present study investigated the issue of what occurs when native speakers of American English, in an early stage of learning German as a second language (L2), produce word-final voiced and voiceless stop consonant targets in German versus English. The fact that the underlying voicing contrast in German is reflected orthographically (e.g., ¡°Tod?versus ¡°tot? might make it more difficult for native speakers of English to learn to devoice German word-final, voiced targets. The findings of this investigation indicate that many of the 12 native English learners of L2 German who were studied showed at least a tendency toward devoicing voiced targets in German relative to their productions of orthographically similar words in English (e.g., ¡°toad?and ¡°tote?. Considerable inter-subject variability was observed, but in general, their partial devoicing in German (relative to their English productions) occurred as a result of producing somewhat shorter vowels before voiced consonant targets and/or less contrast between voiceless versus voiced consonant closure duration. Subjects who produced more characteristically ¡°voiced?consonants when speaking English (i.e., with longer preceding vowel duration, etc.) also tended to devoice German final stops to a lesser extent.