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Questions and Answers
What is the primary focus of the study mentioned in the text?
What is the significance of the last syllable in the analysis of phonological environment?
What is the term used to describe the repetition of consonants in a word?
Which language does not display lexical gemination, according to the study?
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What database was used to analyze the word frequency?
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What is the significance of the consonant duration value in the study?
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What is the purpose of using a well-structured frequency rating system in the study?
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What is the main finding of the study regarding lexical gemination?
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What is the significance of the comparison between Italian, Arabic, and English in the study?
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What is the main goal of the study?
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Study Notes
Study Participants
- Participants filled out a preliminary questionnaire, which showed that the overall English level of Italian participants was homogeneously high, while the Arabic group had a range of English levels, from basic to proficient.
- The participants' language backgrounds and English proficiency levels are as follows:
- Italian: En C1, En C1, En B2, En C1, Fr B2
- Arabic: En C1, Fr B2, En A2, De B2, En B1, En B1, De B2
- English: Sp B2, Ch B2, De/Sp B1, Ar C1, Fr B1
Word Repetition Task
- The task involved repeating 32 target words, embedded in the same carrier sentence ("Now I say [target word] to you").
- The target words were selected based on specific criteria:
- The consonants analyzed in this study are the 6 English stops, lateral approximant, and alveolar nasal (/t/, /d/, /p/, /b/, /k/, /g/, /l/, /n/).
- For each consonant, 4 words were selected, all with the same syllabic structure (CVCV).
- Among these 4 words, 2 had written geminate consonants and had two different endings (one in <-er> and one in <-y>), while the other two had singleton written consonants and had the same different endings.
Overall Findings
- English written geminate consonants are pronounced with a longer duration by Italian and Arabic speakers.
- The findings of this study are compatible with other previous studies that explored gemination effects from different perspectives.
- Features like language background and phonetic factors have an impact on the duration of geminate consonants.
Results
- The rate-normalized consonant duration among the three groups of speakers showed that:
- Italian and Arabic speakers pronounce English written geminate consonants with a longer duration.
- The duration of consonants /p/, /b/, /t/, /d/, /k/, /g/, /l/, and /n/ varied among the three groups of speakers.
Word Frequency
- An analysis of word frequency was carried out using the Celex English Dictionary database.
- The study found that word frequency has an impact on the duration of geminate consonants.
Conclusion
- This study provided a cross-linguistic perspective on the effects of lexical gemination on L2 reading and speaking.
- Evidence was found that lexical gemination has a phonetic repercussion on the acquisition of languages that do not display lexical gemination.
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Description
This quiz covers the language backgrounds and English proficiency levels of participants in a study. The participants are from Italian, Arabic, and English speaking groups. Their language proficiency levels are categorized according to the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) scale.
