A study on the acquisition of English stress patterns by Mexican Spanish native speakers
This dissertation investigates the acquisition of certain stress patterns in English by Mexican Spanish native speakers. Three tasks were designed to test the participants' ability to assign and perceive stress accurately: a production, an identification and a repetition task. Several word categories are used each contains real and unreal words. This research attempts to shed light on the process of stress acquisition, hence the English proficiency of the participants ranges from beginners to advanced learners and a control group of English native speakers. The results indicate that while the participants treat real and nonce words equally, stress is not equally easy/difficult to assign or perceive in all word categories. Namely, in the categories where stress falls further than the third syllable from the right-edge of the word, the L2 learners are less accurate at perceiving and assigning stress, possibly due to the fact that stress assignment in Spanish is restricted to the three syllables on the right-edge of the word. What is more, as the L2 learners' English proficiency increases, their ability to assign and perceive stress correctly improves. This ability however does not remain unchanged: the results
VillafaĂ±a Rojas, VerĂłnica del Carmen
A study on the acquisition of English stress patterns by Mexican Spanish native speakers. This dissertation investigates the acquisition of certain stress patterns in English by Mexican Spanish native speakers. Three tasks were designed to test the participants' ability to assign and perceive stress accurately: a production, an identification and a repetition task. Several word categories are used each contains real and unreal words. This research attempts to shed light on the process of stress acquisition, hence the English proficiency of the participants ranges from beginners to advanced learners and a control group of English native speakers. The results indicate that while the participants treat real and nonce words equally, stress is not equally easy/difficult to assign or perceive in all word categories. Namely, in the categories where stress falls further than the third syllable from the right-edge of the word, the L2 learners are less accurate at perceiving and assigning stress, possibly due to the fact that stress assignment in Spanish is restricted to the three syllables on the right-edge of the word. What is more, as the L2 learners' English proficiency increases, their ability to assign and perceive stress correctly improves. This ability however does not remain unchanged: the results
study acquisition_english stress_pattern mexican spanish native_speaker investigates acquisition certain stress_pattern english mexican spanish native_speaker task_design test participant ability assign perceive stress accurately production identification repetition task several word category use contains real word attempt_shed light process stress acquisition hence english proficiency participant range beginner advance learner control_group english_native speaker indicate participant treat real word equally stress equally easy difficult assign perceive word category namely category stress fall third syllable right edge word learners less accurate assign stress possibly due_fact stress_assignment spanish restrict syllable right edge word learner_english proficiency increase ability assign perceive stress correctly improve ability however remain unchanged