foreign language accent and prosody

Article Overview

  • Focuses on prosodic interference in artificial multilingualism involving English, Yakut, and Russian languages.

  • Highlights intonational transfer of English special questions in Yakut-Russian bilingual students learning English.

Theoretical Background

  • Integrated theoretical and experimental approach needed to study prosodic interference.

  • Established foundational work by Leningrad phoneticists (Zinder, Bondarenko).

  • Key researchers in prosodic interference: Metluk, Vishnevskaya, Fomichenko.

Bilingualism and Interference

  • Bilingualism leads to phonetic interference during language acquisition.

  • Bilinguals possess enhanced metalinguistic competence, aiding in foreign language learning.

  • Issues of communicative effects of accents on native speakers are discussed.

Research Design

  • Examines intonation in bilingual speech when learning foreign languages.

  • Highlights differences in the prosodic systems of Yakut, Russian, and English.

  • Evaluates potential for intonational transfer impacting comprehension and communicative effectiveness.

Experiment Methodology

  • Participants: Yakut-Russian bilinguals vs. British English speakers.

  • Utilizes pre-written conversational dialogues for analysis.

  • Metrics include intonational contours and pitch movements to identify prosodic interference.

Key Findings

  • Yakut-Russian bilinguals show tonal narrowing in English special questions.

  • Pronunciation errors attributed to interference from their native and non-native languages.

  • Emotional state and other extralinguistic factors amplify interference effects.

Conclusion & Future Work

  • Research indicates significant impact of native prosody on foreign language pronunciation.

  • Further studies planned to quantify the degree of prosodic interference in bilinguals.


Article Overview

The article provides an overview of prosodic interference, specifically examining its manifestation in artificial multilingualism involving English, Yakut, and Russian languages. It particularly highlights the intonational transfer of English special questions observed in Yakut-Russian bilingual students who are learning English.

Theoretical Background

Studying prosodic interference requires an integrated theoretical and experimental approach. Foundational work in this area was established by Leningrad phoneticists such as Zinder and Bondarenko. Additionally, key researchers who have significantly contributed to the study of prosodic interference include Metluk, Vishnevskaya, and Fomichenko.

Bilingualism and Interference

Bilingualism inherently leads to phonetic interference during the process of language acquisition. However, bilingual individuals often possess enhanced metalinguistic competence, which can be beneficial in learning foreign languages. The discussion also addresses the communicative effects of foreign accents on native speakers.

Research Design

The research design focuses on examining intonation patterns within bilingual speech during the acquisition of foreign languages. It particularly highlights the distinct differences present in the prosodic systems of Yakut, Russian, and English. The study also evaluates the potential for intonational transfer to impact both comprehension and overall communicative effectiveness.

Experiment Methodology

The experiment methodology involved participants who were Yakut-Russian bilinguals, compared against a control group of British English speakers. For analysis, pre-written conversational dialogues were utilized. Key metrics for identifying prosodic interference included the analysis of intonational contours and pitch movements.

Key Findings

The key findings revealed that Yakut-Russian bilinguals exhibit tonal narrowing when producing English special questions. Pronunciation errors observed were attributed to interference stemming from both their native and non-native languages. Furthermore, the study indicated that emotional state and other extralinguistic factors can amplify these interference effects.

Conclusion & Future Work

In conclusion, the research indicates a significant impact of native language prosody on foreign language pronunciation. Future work is planned to further quantify the degree of prosodic interference observed in bilingual individuals.