Scholars Archive

Title

The Effect of Short-Term Study Abroad on Second Language Spanish Phonetic Development

Authors

Silvina Bongiovanni, Indiana University - BloomingtonFollow
Avizia Y. Long, Texas Tech UniversityFollow
Megan E. Solon, University at Albany, State University of New YorkFollow
Erik Willis, Indiana University - BloomingtonFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2015

DOI

10.1515/shll-2015-0010

Abstract

This study explores the impact of study abroad (SA) on second language Spanish phonetic development. Twenty-seven English-speaking learners of Spanish, 15 who were participating in a 4-week SA program in the Dominican Republic and 12 who were studying at their home (AH) institution, were recorded 5 weeks apart (at the approximate beginning and end of their respective programs). Recordings were analyzed acoustically, and four groups of segments were examined: word-initial /p t k/, intervocalic /b d ɡ/, intervocalic /ɾ/ and /r/, and word-final /l/. Productions at Time 1 and Time 2 as well as between the SA and AH groups were compared. Results suggested a minor benefit of the SA environment for phonetic development of some of the segments but with notable individual variation in both groups.

Comments

Publisher Acknowledgment:

This entry is linking out to the publisher's version of the following article: Bongiovanni, S., Long, A., Solon, M., & Willis, E. W. (2015). The effect of short-term study abroad on the second language Spanish phonetic development. Studies in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics, 8, 243-283.

Recommended Citation

Bongiovanni, Silvina; Long, Avizia Y.; Solon, Megan E.; and Willis, Erik, "The Effect of Short-Term Study Abroad on Second Language Spanish Phonetic Development" (2015). Languages, Literatures and Cultures Faculty Scholarship. 33.
https://scholarsarchive.library.albany.edu/cas_llc_scholar/33