Cinzia Avesani (Author), Giuliano Bocci (Author), Mario Vayra (Author), Alessandra Zappoli (Author)

Abstract

In this work, we address the systemic difference in the prosodic strategies of accentuation at the utterance level of Italian and German, belonging respectively to Romance and Germanic languages. In particular, we address the Interlanguage properties of the speech produced by adult Second Language Learners of the two languages analyzing their production in semi-spontaneous elicitation contexts. We focus on the acquisition of the interplay of phonological and discourse structure occurring in German causing Given Information to be prosodically deaccented, because already cognitively activated in the mind of the interlocutor. The Deaccentuation contour is prosodically realized as a flat low pitch contour and is pragmatically assigned in Germanic languages to a non-focused element, even in positions that metrically would require the positioning of a Nuclear Pitch Accent. This strategy is not reported in Italian, causing referents that align to the position of the prosodic metrical head to be standardly pitch-accented. Deaccentuation, is hard to acquire and subject to prosodic transfer when produced by L2 learners native speakers of Italian, especially when aligning with the metrical head requiring accentuation. Italian L2 speakers of German show to accent Given referents because adopting the Italian accentuation strategy, while German L2 speakers of Italian seem to accommodate more easily the accentuation pattern in L2. We provide a possible explanation in light of the Differential Markedness Hypothesis that considers the number of parameters to be acquired by the L2 speakers.

Keywords

pitch accents;accents and accentuation;German language;Italian language;discourse structure;L2 acquisition;prosody;

Data

Language: English
Year of publishing:
Typology: 1.08 - Published Scientific Conference Contribution
Organization: UNG - University of Nova Gorica
UDC: 81
COBISS: 89292547 Link will open in a new window
Views: 934
Downloads: 0
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Other data

URN: URN:SI:UNG
Pages: Str. 93-116
ID: 13952572
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