Complexity and Naturalness in First Language and Second Language Phonotactic Learning

Public Deposited
Analytics

Downloadable Content

Download PDF
Request Version for Screen Reader
Last Modified
  • March 19, 2019
Creator
  • Prickett, Brandon
    • Affiliation: College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Linguistics
Abstract
  • This thesis sought to test learning biases present in first language (L1) and second language (L2) acquisition. It was predicted that a bias for phonetically grounded, typologically common (“natural”) patterns would be present in L1 learning, and that a bias for patterns involving a small number of phonetic features (“simple”) would be present in L2 learning. A methodology similar to Hayes and White (2013) was used to test the presence of these biases in the learning of 30 speakers of Canadian English and Canadian French by having the subjects perform grammaticality judgment tasks in both of these languages. The results suggest biases for simple and natural constraints could be more active in L1 learning than in L2 learning. This falls in line with past studies and raises questions about the nature of L2 acquisition. Future research could explore whether L2 phonological learning has fewer biases in general, or if it has biases other than naturalness and complexity.
Date of publication
Keyword
Subject
DOI
Identifier
Resource type
Rights statement
  • In Copyright
Advisor
  • Mielke, Jeff
  • Smith, Jennifer L.
  • Moreton, Elliott
Degree
  • Master of Arts
Degree granting institution
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Graduate School
Graduation year
  • 2015
Language
Publisher
Place of publication
  • Chapel Hill, NC
Access right
  • There are no restrictions to this item.
Date uploaded
  • August 25, 2015

Relations

Parents:

This work has no parents.

Items

Thumbnail Title Date Uploaded Visibility Actions
file details Prickett_unc_0153M_15657.pdf 2019-04-09 Public Download