Mandarin speakers' acquisition of English word stress : an extended theory of error-driven constraint demotion algorithm

• Main Authors: Sung, Kailin, 宋凱琳
• Other Authors: Hsiao, Yuchau E.
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/v25du6

博士 === 國立政治大學 === 語言學研究所 === 105 === This study is aimed to investigate Mandarin-speaking English leaners’ stress assignment of simplex nouns, complex words, and compound nouns. Based on Error-Driven Constraint Demotion Algorithm, this study proposes its extended theory to account for the dynamic process of second language (L2) acquisition of stress assignment. The tokens were simplex nouns composed of 25 syllable types, compound words composed of three types of suffixes, and disyllabic compound nouns composed of 25 syllable types. The subjects were 20 high and low achievers of English respectively. The result shows that L2 stress assignment acquisition is divided into two stages. The first stage features interlanguage constraint promotion; lower ranked constraints in first language (L1) or L2 are promoted to the undominated position, which prevents the target form from being selected. In stage two, the target-disfavoring constraints undergo gradual and sequential error-driven demotion until the target form successfully surfaces. In terms of simplex nouns, low achievers were influenced by ALLFTR and XV́O, and tended to place the main stress on the penultimate syllable and ultimate XVO. High achievers were able to stress simplex nouns accurately, which implies simplex cophonology has been established at high-achieving stage. As far as compound words are concerned, undominated interlanguage constraints, ALLFTR and NON-FIN(σ), mislead low achievers to place stress on the penultimate syllable, while high achievers had no difficulty stressing complex words, suggesting that high achievers were equipped with the complex cophonology. As for compound nouns, under the influence of interlanguage constraint, ALIGN (WD, FT), low achievers tended to stress every compound element. The extended Error-Driven Constraint Demotion Algorithm proposed in this study is proved able to account for L2 acquisition of stress assignment.