1887
image of The effects of orthography and cognate status on L2 German
pronunciation

Abstract

Abstract

Orthography has well-documented effects on L2 pronunciation accuracy. This study investigates the effects of orthographic input on the devoicing of L2 German learners’ production of voiced stops /b, d, g/ in final position. Additionally, we investigate the interaction of cognate status and orthographic input. Thirty L2 German students completed read-aloud, picture-naming, and delayed-repetition tasks using target words classified as identical, near, and noncognates. Analysis of voicing using stop closure duration and the amount of glottal pulse during stop closure showed orthography interfered with pronunciation accuracy. Cognate status resulted in more target-like pronunciation only for noncognates in the read-aloud and delayed-repetition tasks. The results confirm earlier findings that orthographic input in L1 English-L2 German matching leads to less accurate pronunciation and that identical cognates and near cognates suffer most from orthographic effects.

Available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1075/jslp.25038.son
2026-01-15
2026-02-14
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

/deliver/fulltext/10.1075/jslp.25038.son/jslp.25038.son.html?itemId=/content/journals/10.1075/jslp.25038.son&mimeType=html&fmt=ahah

References

  1. Bartoń, K.
    (2023) MuMIn: Multi-model inference. https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/MuMIn/index.html
  2. Bassetti, B.
    (2017) First and second language orthographies affect second language phonology: The orthography-induced singleton-geminate consonant contrast in second language speakers of English. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory and Cognition, (), –. 10.1037/xlm0000417
    https://doi.org/10.1037/xlm0000417 [Google Scholar]
  3. Bassetti, B., & Atkinson, N.
    (2015) Effects of orthographic forms on pronunciation in experienced instructed second language learners. Applied Psycholinguistics, , –. 10.1017/S0142716414000435
    https://doi.org/10.1017/S0142716414000435 [Google Scholar]
  4. Bassetti, B., Masterson, J., Cerni, T., & Mairano, P.
    (2021) Orthographic forms affect speech perception in a second language: Consonant and vowel length in L2 English. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance. (), –. 10.1037/xhp0000949
    https://doi.org/10.1037/xhp0000949 [Google Scholar]
  5. Bassetti, B., Sokolović-Perović, M., Mairano, P., & Cerni, T.
    (2018) Orthography-induced length contrasts in second language phonological systems of L2 speakers of English: Evidence from minimal pairs. Language and Speech, (), –. 10.1177/0023830918780141
    https://doi.org/10.1177/0023830918780141 [Google Scholar]
  6. Boersma, P. & Weenink, D.
    (2020) Praat: doing phonetics by computer [Computer program]. Version 6.1.15, retrieved20 May 2020fromwww.praat.org/
    [Google Scholar]
  7. Brown, E., & Amengual, M.
    (2015) Fine-grained and probabilistic cross-linguistic influence in the pronunciation of cognates: Evidence from corpus-based spontaneous conversation and experimentally elicited data. Studies in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics, (), –. 10.1515/shll‑2015‑0003
    https://doi.org/10.1515/shll-2015-0003 [Google Scholar]
  8. Bürki, A., Spinelli, E., & Gaskell, M.
    (2012) A written word is worth a thousand spoken words: The influence of spelling on spoken-word production. Journal of Memory and Language, , –. 10.1016/j.jml.2012.08.001
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jml.2012.08.001 [Google Scholar]
  9. Cerni, T., Bassetti, B., & Masterson, J.
    (2019) Effects of orthographic forms on the acquisition of novel spoken words in a second language. Frontiers in Communication, , pp.–. 10.3389/fcomm.2019.00031
    https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2019.00031 [Google Scholar]
  10. Davidson, L.
    (2016) Variability in the implementation of voicing in American English obstruents. Journal of Phonetics, , pp.–. 10.1016/j.wocn.2015.09.003
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wocn.2015.09.003 [Google Scholar]
  11. De Bot, K.
    (2004) The multilingual lexicon: Modelling selection and control. International Journal of Multilingualism, (), –. 10.1080/14790710408668176
    https://doi.org/10.1080/14790710408668176 [Google Scholar]
  12. De Groot, A., & Keijzer, R.
    (2000) What is hard to learn is easy to forget: The roles of word concreteness, cognate status, and word frequency in foreign-language vocabulary learning and forgetting. Language Learning, (), –. 10.1111/0023‑8333.00110
    https://doi.org/10.1111/0023-8333.00110 [Google Scholar]
  13. Dijkstra, T., Miwa, K., Brummelhuis, B., Sappelli, M., & Baayen, H.
    (2010) How cross-language similarity and task demands affect cognate recognition. Journal of Memory and Language, , –. 10.1016/j.jml.2009.12.003
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jml.2009.12.003 [Google Scholar]
  14. Erdener, D., & Burnham, D.
    (2005) The role of audiovisual speech and orthographic information in nonnative speech production. Language Learning, (), –. 10.1111/j.0023‑8333.2005.00303.x
    https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0023-8333.2005.00303.x [Google Scholar]
  15. Escudero, P., Simon, E., & Mulak, K. E.
    (2014) Learning words in a new language: Orthography doesn’t always help. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, (), –. 10.1017/S1366728913000436
    https://doi.org/10.1017/S1366728913000436 [Google Scholar]
  16. Escudero, P., & Wanrooij, K.
    (2010) The effect of L1 orthography on non-native vowel perception. Language and Speech, (), –. 10.1177/0023830910371447
    https://doi.org/10.1177/0023830910371447 [Google Scholar]
  17. Farrell, V., & Daidone, D.
    (2023) Effects of orthography and cognate status on second language Spanish lexical encoding. Journal of Second Language Pronunciation, (), –. 10.1075/jslp.22036.far
    https://doi.org/10.1075/jslp.22036.far [Google Scholar]
  18. Goldrick, M., Runnqvist, E., & Costa, A.
    (2014) Language switching makes pronunciation less nativelike. Psychological Science, (), –. 10.1177/0956797613520014
    https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797613520014 [Google Scholar]
  19. Hammerly, H.
    (1982) The relative frequency of Spanish pronunciation errors. Retrieved fromhttps://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED119504.pdf
  20. Hartsuiker, R. J., & Moors, A.
    (2017) On the automaticity of language processing. InH.-J. Schmid (Ed.), Entrenchment and the psychology of language learning: How we reorganize and adapt linguistic knowledge (pp.–). De Gruyter-Mouton. 10.1037/15969‑010
    https://doi.org/10.1037/15969-010 [Google Scholar]
  21. Hayes-Harb, R., Brown, K., & Smith, B.
    (2018) Orthographic input and the acquisition of German final devoicing by native speakers of English. Language and Speech, (), –. 10.1177/0023830917710048
    https://doi.org/10.1177/0023830917710048 [Google Scholar]
  22. Hayes-Harb, R., Nicol, J., & Barker, J.
    (2010) Learning the phonological forms of new words: Effects of orthographic and auditory input. Language and Speech, (), –. 10.1177/0023830910371460
    https://doi.org/10.1177/0023830910371460 [Google Scholar]
  23. Mok, P., Lee, A., Li, J., Xu, B.
    (2018) Orthographic effects on the perception and production of L2 Mandarin. Speech Communication, , –. 10.1016/j.specom.2018.05.002
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.specom.2018.05.002 [Google Scholar]
  24. Nagle, C.
    (2019) A longitudinal study of voice onset time development in L2 Spanish stops. Applied Linguistics, (), pp.–. 10.1093/applin/amx011
    https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amx011 [Google Scholar]
  25. Nimz, K., & Khattab, G.
    (2020) On the role of orthography in L2 vowel production: The case of Polish learners of German. Second Language Research, (), pp.–. 10.1177/0267658319828424
    https://doi.org/10.1177/0267658319828424 [Google Scholar]
  26. O’Brien, M., & Fagan, S.
    (2016) German phonetics and phonology. New Haven: Yale University Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  27. Pytlyk, C.
    (2011) Shared orthography: Do shared written symbols influence the perception of L2 sounds?The Modern Language Journal, (), –. 10.1111/j.1540‑4781.2011.01244.x
    https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.2011.01244.x [Google Scholar]
  28. Rafat, Y.
    (2016) Orthography-induced transfer in the production of English-speaking learners of Spanish. The Language Learning Journal, (), –. 10.1080/09571736.2013.784346
    https://doi.org/10.1080/09571736.2013.784346 [Google Scholar]
  29. R Core Team
    R Core Team (2024) R: A language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria. URL: https://www.R-project.org/
    [Google Scholar]
  30. Sánchez-Casas, R., & García-Albea, J.
    (2005) The representation of cognate and noncognate words in bilingual memory. InJ. Kroll & A. De Groot (Eds.), Handbook of bilingualism: Psycholinguistic approaches (pp.–). Oxford University Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  31. Smith, B., Hayes-Harb, R., Bruss, M., & Harker, A.
    (2009) Production and perception of voicing and devoicing in similar German and English words by native speakers of German. Journal of Phonetics, , pp.–. 10.1016/j.wocn.2009.03.001
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wocn.2009.03.001 [Google Scholar]
  32. Tonzar, C., Lotto, L., & Job, R.
    (2009) L2 vocabulary acquisition in children: Effects of learning method and cognate status. Language Learning, (), –. 10.1111/j.1467‑9922.2009.00519.x
    https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9922.2009.00519.x [Google Scholar]
  33. Vokic, G.
    (2011) When alphabets collide: Alphabetic first-language speakers’ approach to speech production in an alphabetic second language. Second Language Research, (), –. 10.1177/0267658310396627
    https://doi.org/10.1177/0267658310396627 [Google Scholar]
  34. Young-Scholten, M.
    (2002) Orthographic input in L2 phonological development. InP. Burmeister, T. Piske, & A. Rohde (Eds.), An integrated view of language development: Papers in honor of Henning Wode (pp.–). Wissenschaftlicher Verlag Trier.
    [Google Scholar]
  35. (2004) Prosodic constraints on allophonic distribution in adult L2 acquisition. International Journal of Bilingualism, (), –. 10.1177/13670069040080010501
    https://doi.org/10.1177/13670069040080010501 [Google Scholar]
  36. Young-Scholten, M., & Langer, M.
    (2015) The role of orthographic input in second language German: Evidence from naturalistic adult learners’ production. Applied Psycholinguistics, , –. 10.1017/S0142716414000447
    https://doi.org/10.1017/S0142716414000447 [Google Scholar]
  37. Zampini, M.
    (1994) The role of native language transfer and task formality in the acquisition of Spanish spirantization. Hispania, (), –. 10.2307/344974
    https://doi.org/10.2307/344974 [Google Scholar]
/content/journals/10.1075/jslp.25038.son
Loading
/content/journals/10.1075/jslp.25038.son
Loading

Data & Media loading...

  • Article Type: Research Article
Keywords: L2 pronunciation ; final stops ; orthography ; cognates ; German
This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was successful
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error