How does first language influence second language rhythm? Laurence White and Sven Mattys Experimental Psychology Bristol University

Overview Background:  Speech rhythm and “rhythm classes”.  New speech rhythm metrics. Speech production study:  Do new rhythm metrics serve to illustrate the influence of first language on second language rhythm?

Rhythm (music, speech, etc.) arises from the repetition of related sounds. In English speech, rhythm arises from repetition of stressed syllables. I did not have sexual relations with that woman – Miss Lewinsky. In Spanish, there is much less contrast between stressed and unstressed syllables. A pocos pasos de mi casa está una tienda bonita. Traditional distinction:  Syllable-timed languages (e.g. Romance).  Stress-timed languages (e.g. Germanic). Background: Rhythm

Stress-timing vs syllable-timing Stress-timed languages: isochrony? sleep.ing. soundly vs sleep.il.y. re.searches Stress-timing is alternation rather than regularity:  Greater differences between stressed and unstressed syllables… including:  Vowel reduction.  More complex consonant clusters, particularly in stressed syllable onsets and codas. e.g. (s)(t)(r)a(n)(d)(s)  Fewer open syllables.

Basis of rhythmic analysis Separate signal into vocalic and intervocalic sections and examine variations in length of each. the standardscommittee

New rhythm metrics Variance-based metrics (Ramus, Nespor & Mehler, 1999):  ΔV: standard deviation of vocalic intervals.  ΔC: standard deviation of intervocalic intervals.  %V: vocalic proportion of total utterance. Ramus, Nespor & Mehler (1999) Also examined PVI metrics (Low, Grabe & Nolan, 2000; Grabe & Low, 2002).

Overview Background:  Speech rhythm and “rhythm classes”.  New speech rhythm metrics. Speech production study:  Do new rhythm metrics serve to illustrate the influence of first language on second language rhythm?

Comparison between “rhythm classes”:  Spanish (“syllable-timed”) vs English (“stress-timed”). Six speakers per condition. Five sentences per language. Other materials also recorded for most speakers:  Map task to elicit non-read speech. Second language recordings Language spoken Native language SpanishEnglish Spanish English Eng Sp Eng Eng Sp Sp

Spanish & English L1/L2 results: Variance-based metrics Speech rate (syls/sec) Eng Eng Sp Sp Sp Eng Key Lang. spoken Native lang.

All speakers: Effect of speech rate on ΔV VarcoV – ΔV normalised for speech rate: ΔV / Mean V (Dellwo & Wagner, 2003)

Spanish & English L1/L2 results: Rate normalised ΔV and %V Eng Eng Sp Sp Sp Eng Key Lang. spoken Native lang.

A mí no me gustaba su coche pequeño y viejo. 65, 67 vs 67, 66 47, 32 vs 71, 56 40, 41 vs 27, 24 Spanish L1/L2: %V differences continued… Vowel duration (ms) Sp Eng Vowel duration (ms) Sp

What is the effect of speaking a second language, when languages are rhythmically similar? Comparison within “rhythm classes”:  Dutch (“stress-timed”) vs English (“stress-timed”). Six speakers per condition. Five sentences per language. Language spoken Native language DutchEnglish Dutch English Second language recordings Eng Dut Eng Eng Dut Dut

Cross-linguistic results: Dutch vs English Eng Eng Sp Sp Sp Eng Key Lang. spoken Native lang. Dut Eng Eng Dut Dut

First and second language rhythm: summary Influence of L1 on L2:  Consonantal metrics show little influence of L1.  Vocalic metrics:  Normalisation for speech rate necessary (VarcoV).  Clearly show influence of L1 on L2.  But…  Not necessarily intermediate between L1 and L2.  Little accommodation to L2 when languages are rhythmically similar.

Interpretation of rhythm metrics Rhythmic distinctions can be seen as arising from specific segmental and prosodic processes:  Rhythm as emergent property rather than product of top-down timing control. Variation within “rhythm classes” sometimes as large as between.  Suggests distinction is not simply bimodal. Further research: How do rhythm metrics relate to the subjective experience of linguistic rhythm?

Credits Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, U.K. Juan Toro, Barcelona. Elizabeth Johnson, Nijmegen. Eric-Jan Wagenmakers & Atie Vogelenzang de Jong, Amsterdam. Ineke Mennen, Edinburgh. Reinier Salverda, London.