The Combined Effects of Immersion and Instruction on Second Language Pronunciation

Abstract: This preliminary study investigates the acquisition of second language phonology with respect to two variables: immersion in a target language community, and explicit instruction in the form of a phonetics/pronunciation class. Specifically, the research examines the second language acquisition (SLA) of specific properties of the Spanish phonology system as achieved by native speakers of English participating in a summer program in Mexico, some of whom had previously taken a Spanish phonetics course. Results suggest that it is not one factor or another in isolation that is most beneficial, but rather the combination of the two. The findings are analyzed not only in terms of how the SLA of sound systems develops, but also with respect to pedagogical, curricular, and administrative implications. Key words: Spanish, immersion, instruction, phonetics, phonology, second language acquisition Introduction The goal of this article is, broadly speaking, to add to an understanding of the potential linguistic benefits of study abroad (SA). Specifically, it investigates what factors, or combination of factors, can contribute to the acquisition of second language (L2) sounds by considering the roles of immersion and instruction in the second language acquisition (SLA) process. While previous work has investigated both of these areas individually, as I discuss below, inconsistent findings are unfortunately the norm. The aim, therefore, of this preliminary study was to add to this existing literature regarding the effects of SA on the SLA process, but it takes the investigation further by considering the combination of factors. The results suggest that it is not one factor or another in isolation that is most beneficial, but rather the combination of the two. The specific feature under investigation in this study is the fricative/occlusive distinction in Spanish voiced consonants, e.g., the contrast between occlusive [b, d, g] and β, δ, γ] (bilabial, dental, and velar, respectively), as acquired by native English speakers. English and Spanish both have voiced fricative and occlusive sounds, but they do not share the same pairs of allophones and, even where there are articulatory similarities, their contexts can differ. It is generally recognized (i.e., Cressey, 1978; Hualde, 2005; Schwegler & Kempff, 2007, among others) that while the occlusive phones are considered the base phonemes and the fricatives their allophonic variants, the fricatives are in fact much more common in Spanish. In virtually all dialects of Spanish, the occlusive allophones are found after a pause (i.e., in word- or phrase-initial position) and after a nasal (i.e., /m, n, n/); the dental [d] occurs additionally after a lateral (i.e., /l, l/). The fricative allophones occur in all other contexts, be they word-initial, word-medial, or word-final. While there is some dialectal variation in this distribution, it is not substantial compared to other consonantal variation in the Spanish-speaking world (i.e., Hammond, 2001). In parts of Colombia, for example, an occlusive variant may be used after another consonant, even if that consonant is not a nasal. In no case, however, is the above distribution considered unacceptable. Further, what I describe above is what is taught to English-speaking students as the standard rule (i.e., Hammond, 2001; Schwegler & Kempff, 2007, in addition to many others). Table 1 provides a summary of the fricative/occlusive allophone occurrences in Spanish. While English has some of these same sounds, as I mention previously, they do not occur in the same patterns (see, for example, Chomsky & Halle, 1968, for general English phonology), a situation often termed ''allophonic split'' (i.e., Eckman, Elreyes, & Iverson, 2003). English also has a fricative /j/ sound which, while similar to the Spanish [j], is interdental rather than dental as in Spanish. The English sound is a phoneme rather than an allophone, and it is most often realized faithfully with its [j] allophone. …