ERIC Number: EJ1031124
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0015-718X
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Focused Instruction in Spanish Syllabification
Kilpatrick, Cynthia D.; Pierce, Lori McLain
Foreign Language Annals, v47 n2 p286-299 Sum 2014
It is well established that learners transfer sounds from their first to their second language when speaking (see Major, 2008, and references therein). Recent work also indicates that learners may transfer their perception of sounds from the first to the second language. In some cases, errors in production and perception are explicitly corrected due to problems with miscommunication. On the other hand, when such errors do not lead to direct misunderstandings, the errors may be left uncorrected, which may lead to fossilization. This article examines a salient characteristic of English-accented Spanish: putting two adjacent vowels in hiatus rather than producing them as a diphthong. Data show that a simple treatment based on direct negative evidence of syllabification can significantly improve learners' knowledge of these Spanish sound sequences.
Descriptors: Spanish, Phonemes, Transfer of Training, Auditory Perception, Second Language Learning, Pronunciation, English, Native Language, Error Correction, Error Patterns, Pronunciation Instruction, Teaching Methods
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
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