The role of the Prosodic Hierarchy on learning phonological rules
B d g/ spirantization by L1 German learners of Spanish
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21201423 |
|---|---|
| Authors | F C (0000-0001-6751-8136, University of Konstanz), Ludmila Bajuk (University of Konstanz), Miray Gökkaya (University of Konstanz) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 233-250 |
| Publication date | 2026-03-26 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Linguistic Approaches to Bilingualism (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1879-9264 • E-ISSN: 1879-9272 |
| Publisher | John Benjamins Publishing Company (PUBLISHER • NL) |
| DOI | 10.1075/lab.25030.bar |
| OpenAlex | W4416913869 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 16 |
We investigate the influence of the prosodic structure of German as first language (L1) on the application of the spirantization rule in Spanish as a second language (L2). According to the Prosodic Hierarchy, the prosodic domains in which phonological rules apply may vary according to whether the language has a grouping tendency or not. While Spanish spirantization (where /b d g/ are produced as [β ð ɣ] after continuant sounds) applies across the Intonational Phrase (IP), German restricts grouping processes to smaller domains, the largest of them being the phonological word (pword). We hypothesized that L1 German learners of Spanish apply spirantization progressively, starting from the pword. Twenty-six participants were recorded reading two texts with instances of /b d g/ within foot, pword, and IP. Results support that L1 German learners of Spanish spirantize mainly within feet, and less so within pwords and IPs; furthermore, consonants /b — d/ are more likely to be spirantized than /g/ across all contexts by more proficient learners. We conclude that the starting point of spirantization is not the largest one licensed by the learner’s L1, but that there is an L1-independent path where learners start from the smallest domain in the hierarchy
German · Hierarchy · Phonological rule · Phrase · Language Development and Disorders · Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism · Phonetics and Phonology Research
Prosodic Phonology
Fitting Linear Mixed-Effects Models Using lme4
Phonological parsing via an integrated I-language
Factors that moderate global similarity in initial L3 transfer
The gradience of spirantization
Prosodic constraints on allophonic distribution in adult L2 acquisition
Learning new segments and reducing domains in German L2 phonology
On words and phrases in phonology
On positive evidence and ultimate attainment in L2 phonology
Experience, representations and the production of second language allophones
The role of prosodic structure in the L2 acquisition of Spanish stop lenition
Principles and parameters in prosodic phonology
The Role of Native Language Transfer and Task Formality in the Acquisition of Spanish Spirantization
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |