18 Jun 2002

Susana Cortes Pomacondor & Ninik Poedjianto

In this paper we are trying to find what is transferred from the L1 sound system to the production of L2 sounds. We ask whether L2 speakers 1) transfer their L1 phonemic inventory onto L2, and assume a one-to-one mapping from L2 phones to L2 allophones; 2) transfer their L1 phonemic inventories and the mapping from phones to allophones from L1; 3) transfer their L1 allophonic inventory onto the L2 phonemic inventory, and assume a one-to-one mapping; or 4) transfer well-formedness conditions on L1 output. This paper attempts to test these hypotheses by looking at the English speech of Catalan speakers. Catalan speakers of English are ideal subjects for this study because Catalan and English have different phoneme inventories and both languages also have different realisations of the same phones in identical contexts.

Voicing Contrast in Indonesian English: A VOT and Phonatory Study on Word-initial /p/ - /b/     (Ninik Poedjianto) [University of Glasgow]

The fact that non-native English speakers outnumber native ones has led `foreign accent’ to become one of some frequently discussed research areas in language acquisition. Despite a higher tendency among non-natives to learn English in a foreign language environment as in Indonesia, the majority of `foreign accent’ studies deal with a second language one. This study, therefore, hopes to contribute to the former as well as to the phonetic description of Indonesian English and Indonesian, which has been little explored.

This paper discusses the voicing contrast of Indonesian English word-initial /p/-/b/ produced by Surabaya Indonesian speakers, which is part of my on-going PhD thesis. The production of 15 male and 15 female English students from three different proficiency levels 10 per group in a private language school in Surabaya was analysed both qualitatively and quantitatively. Findings from an earlier study (Poedjianto, 2002) showed that VOT measurements from beginners did not indicate any voicing contrast in Indonesian English /p/-/b/, unlike the general case with English /p/-/b/. However, this paper hypothesizes that VOT will progress across proficiency levels. Given that phonation (i.e. stiff and slack voice) is mainly important in indicating the voicing contrast in Surabaya Indonesian, it is hypothesized that there will be some adjustment made to reduce slackness along with the increase of VOT in Indonesian English. Both features are investigated and discussed.

Reference:

Poedjianto, N. 2002. Production of word-initial /p/-/b/ in Indonesian English. A paper presented at the 2002 BAAP Colloquium, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, 25-27 March 2002.

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