The main aim of this book is to contribute to our understanding of the acquisition of second language intonation, by comparing Czech learners of Spanish with German learners of Spanish and Czech learners of Italian. By means of a large production database, the study seeks to uncover how L1-to-L2 intonational transfer works and what role prosodic (dis)similarities between languages play. Contrary to most previous research, the work presents an original multidirectional cross-linguistic comparison and examines different types of sentence, such as neutral and non-neutral statements, yes/no questions, wh-questions, exclamatives and vocatives. The findings reveal positive and negative transfer from L1 to L2, and the formation of mixed patterns as well as native-like patterns, which are mainly constrained by linguistic factors such as the type of sentence and the position of the tonal event in the utterance. The results are discussed within Mennen’s (2015) L2 Intonation Learning theory and lead to the formulation of a Developmental L2 Intonation Hypothesis that makes several generalizations to characterize interlanguage intonation. This volume not only represents a step forward in the study of the acquisition of L2 intonation in general but also offers valuable findings that can be directly or indirectly applied in the classroom and will hopefully inspire further research.

The main aim of this book is to contribute to our understanding of the acquisition of second language intonation, by comparing Czech learners of Spanish with German learners of Spanish and Czech learners of Italian. By means of a large production database, the study seeks to uncover how L1-to-L2 intonational transfer works and what role prosodic (dis)similarities between languages play. Contrary to most previous research, the work presents an original multidirectional cross-linguistic comparison and examines different types of sentence, such as neutral and non-neutral statements, yes/no questions, wh-questions, exclamatives and vocatives. The findings reveal positive and negative transfer from L1 to L2, and the formation of mixed patterns as well as native-like patterns, which are mainly constrained by linguistic factors such as the type of sentence and the position of the tonal event in the utterance. The results are discussed within Mennen’s (2015) L2 Intonation Learning theory and lead to the formulation of a Developmental L2 Intonation Hypothesis that makes several generalizations to characterize interlanguage intonation. This volume not only represents a step forward in the study of the acquisition of L2 intonation in general but also offers valuable findings that can be directly or indirectly applied in the classroom and will hopefully inspire further research.

This volume provides new insights into various issues on prosody in contact situations, contact referring here to the L2 acquisition process as well as to situations where two language systems may co-exist. A wide array of phenomena are dealt with (prosodic description of linguistic systems in contact situations, analysis of prosodic changes, language development processes, etc.), and the results obtained may give an indication of what is more or less stable in phonological and prosodic systems. In addition, the selected papers clearly show how languages may have influenced or may have been influenced by other language varieties (in multilingual situations where different languages are in constant contact with one another, but also in the process of L2 acquisition). Unlike previous volumes on related topics, which focus in general either on L2 acquisition or on the description and analyses of different varieties of a given language, this volume considers both topics in parallel, allowing comparison and discussion of the results, which may shed new light on more far-reaching theoretical questions such as the role of markedness in prosody and the causes of prosodic changes.

Juntos: Italian for Speakers of English and Spanish, Third Edition, is the first comprehensive textbook for the teaching of Italian to students who already possess knowledge of Spanish, whether as L1 Spanish speakers, heritage speakers, or L2 Spanish learners. Suitable for students at the high school and college levels, Juntos is also the first textbook to cultivate interlinguistic awareness through intercomprehension, developing bridges that foster the recognition and use of students' bilingual repertoire as a tool for learning Italian and acquiring other Romance languages. Features: Networked approach that motivates learners to draw on their multilingual language repertoire to acquire reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills in Italian Innovative activities that encourage multilingual, multicultural, and metalinguistic thinking and analysis Readings and translation activities that promote and develop translanguaging--the practice of drawing from one's multilingual linguistic repertoire as a whole when thinking, speaking, and writing Instruction that reinforces learners' knowledge of English and Spanish, while building understanding of the links and interactions between global Romance languages and cultures Inclusive readings on topics of transnational interest that invite students to reflect on the interconnectedness of cultures around the world Companion website (available on the book title page on www.hackettpublishing.com) with audio files and supplemental web-based activities that reinforce students' intercultural awareness and literacy Full-color interior, with illustrations and easy-to-read, color-coded language recognition system

A total of 82 Spanish learners of various proficiency levels participated in one of two studies that explored the acquisition of intonation in two different contexts: classroom (beginning, n =18; intermediate, n =21; and advanced, n =24) and study abroad (advanced, n = 19). I examined the acquisition of prenuclear F0 peak alignment, the phonetic mapping of final boundary tones, and pitch range phenomena. The results indicate that the LILt is a useful and valuable theoretical tool to analyze L2 intonation data. In my discussion, I detail how the theoretical analyses that this model allows have helped to clarify, at least to some extent, why some of the parameters under investigation (e.g., the mapping of boundary tones) appear to be more difficult to acquire than others (e.g., prenuclear peak alignment).

This dissertation addresses the second language (L2) acquisition of word stress in production and perception, from both a phonological-theoretical and psycholinguistic angle. It investigates how cross-linguistic differences in the (types of) metrical systems of native speakers of a variety of first (native) languages (L1) affect the L2 acquisition of word stress. This includes the differences in the formal properties of L1 and L2 stress and the functional properties of L1 stress, and their implications for the representation of stress in the mental lexicon established during the L1 acquisition process. To this end, native speakers of several languages were tested experimentally for their L2 perception and production of Polish word stress. These languages were Russian (lexical accent system, all positions in a word possible), German, English, Spanish, Italian (in all, stress within a three-syllable window at the right edge of the word), Czech (fixed word-initial stress), French (phrase-final stress) and Chinese (tone language). The L2 Polish has fixed pre-final stress. This thesis contributes to a better understanding of adult L2 acquisition of stress, the relationship between L2 perception and production, and the effects of L1 properties on the acquisition of L2 stress. As one of its most important features, this dissertation addresses the complexity of the (L2) stress perception process, suggesting that the function of L1 stress (in terms of facilitating word recognition or word segmentation) should be included in the properties affecting speakers#x2019%x; stress perception. This dissertation will be of interest to those working in the area of phonology, second language acquisition and psycholinguistics.