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Dynamic localization in second language English and German*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 October 2014

MARY GRANTHAM O’BRIEN  and
CAROLINE FÉRY
MARY GRANTHAM O’BRIEN*
Affiliation:
University of Calgary
CAROLINE FÉRY
Affiliation:
Goethe-Universität Frankfurt
*
Address for correspondence: Mary Grantham O’Brien, Department of Linguistics, Languages and Cultures, C205 Craigie Hall, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, AB T2N1N4, Canadamgobrien@ucalgary.ca
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Abstract

Marking new and given constituents requires speakers to use morphosyntactic and phonological cues within a discourse context. The current study uses a dynamic localization paradigm whereby German and English native speakers, with the other language as a second language (L2), describe constellations of pictures. In each picture a new or reintroduced animal is localized relative to other animals, thereby allowing for control of newness vs. givenness of animals. Participants completed the task in their native language (L1) and L2. English native speakers use predominantly canonical word order and often mark the new object with a falling pitch accent. German native speakers use a given-before-new word order, even when this is non-canonical, and they use a rising pitch accent in non-final position. The results indicate that speakers easily transfer unmarked grammatical structures – both word order and pitch accents – from their L1 to their L2.

Keywords

information structurespoken productionsyntaxphonologyproficiency
Type
Research Article
Information
Bilingualism: Language and Cognition , Volume 18 , Issue 3 , July 2015 , pp. 400 - 418
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

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Footnotes

*

We would like to thank Laura Maffongelli for her assistance in data collection and analyses, Tak Fung for his assistance with data analysis and Susanne Carroll for her insights into the Interface Hypothesis. We would also like to thank three anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments. Any errors that remain are our own.

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