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L3 Development After the Initial State
Edited by Megan M. Brown-Bousfield, Suzanne Flynn and Éva Fernández-Berkes
[Studies in Bilingualism 65] 2023
► pp. 121–149

Dynamics in cross-linguistic influence

Evidence from VOT development of Mandarin-English bilingual learners of L3 Spanish

| Georgetown University
| Georgetown University
| Georgetown University
With the aim of uncovering the dynamics of cross-linguistic influence (CLI), the present study investigates the production of word-initial stops by L1 Mandarin-L2 English bilinguals learning L3 Spanish over the course of a semester. For this purpose, six Spanish majors at a university in Beijing, China (two 2nd semester, two 4th semester and two 6th semester) were recorded reading word lists containing voiced and voiceless stop consonants in Mandarin, English and Spanish. Stop tokens were coded for voice onset time (VOT). Individual plots revealed different patterns for voiced and voiceless stops; they also detected trends of both progressive and regressive CLI in VOT with variation among and within learners. Findings support the hypothesis that CLI operates property by property and is sensitive to the learning of a phonological feature as well as to a learner’s proficiency level. Results are discussed within the Complex Dynamic System Theory (CDST) framework.
Keywords: L3 phonology, cross-linguistic influence (CLI), VOT, longitudinal study, stop consonants, Mandarin, English, Spanish
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Background
    • 2.1Models of CLI in L3 development
    • 2.2L3 phonological acquisition
    • 2.3Target property: VOT in Mandarin, English and Spanish
    • 2.4The current study
  • 3.Methods
    • 3.1Participants
    • 3.2Instruments
    • 3.3Procedure
    • 3.4Data coding and analysis
  • 4.Results
    • 4.1Voiceless stops
      • 4.1.1What are trends of progressive and regressive CLI in L1-L2-L3 VOT as a function of learners’ proficiency level (2nd, 4th and 6th – semester)?
      • 4.1.2Are there changes in the trends of progressive and regressive CLI in L1-L2-L3 VOT during the course of three months?
    • 4.2Voiced stops
      • 4.2.1What are trends of progressive and regressive CLI in L1-L2-L3 VOT as a function of learners’ proficiency level (2nd, 4th and 6th – semester)?
      • 4.2.2Are there changes in the trends of progressive and regressive CLI in L1-L2-L3 VOT during the course of three months?
    • 4.3Is CLI different for voiced versus voiceless stop VOTs?
  • 5.Discussion
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
  • Appendix
Published online: 9 October 2023
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/sibil.65.06zha
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