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Article published In: Journal of Second Language Pronunciation
Vol. 7:2 (2021) ► pp.183–211

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Productive phonological bootstrapping in early EFL of 4th-graders in German primary schools

ORCiD logo with link | Universität Mannheim
Published online: 8 January 2021
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/jslp.19017.kie
Abstract
It has been suggested that learners can use their phonological knowledge receptively in other linguistic domains, for instance to support lexical acquisition, a process referred to as “phonological bootstrapping” (Christophe, T., Guasti, M., & Nespor, A. (1997). Reflections on phonological bootstrapping: Its role for lexical and syntactic acquisition. Language and Cognitive Processes, 12(5–6), 585–612. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar). However, research on productive phonological processes in early foreign language acquisition has been rare. The present study addresses this gap and shows that phonology functions as a deliberate productive resource to compensate for lexical limitations in early foreign language acquisition. 184 4th grade students learning English at German primary schools were asked to tell a picture story in English. Findings show that the majority of learners use a strategy we name “productive phonological bootstrapping” to fill lexical gaps by adapting German items to the English sound system. Similar phonological phenomena as in other language contact domains occur in a combination with manipulations based on differences between German and English, suggesting an interplay of universal and language-specific processes.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Phonology as a resource?
    • 2.1Phonology and the lexicon in acquisition
    • 2.2Productive phonological processes
  • 3.English-German contrastive phonology
  • 4.The study
    • 4.1Hypotheses
    • 4.2Participants
    • 4.3Materials
    • 4.4Procedure
    • 4.5Analysis
    • 4.6Results
      • 4.6.1Quantitative analysis and overview
      • 4.6.2Qualitative analysis of most frequent bootstrapping processes
        • 4.6.2.1Fronting
        • 4.6.2.2Vowel reduction/monophthongization
        • 4.6.2.3Lengthening/dipthongization
        • 4.6.2.4Gliding
        • 4.6.2.5Deletion
        • 4.6.2.6Affixation
  • 5.Discussion
    • 5.1Is phonological bootstrapping a resource for early EFL learners in speech production?
    • 5.2Is productive phonological bootstrapping an intentional and beneficial resource?
    • 5.3Types of phonological processes
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Note
  • References
References (65)
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