Focused Instruction in Spanish Syllabification

Abstract: It is well established that learners transfer sounds from their first to their second language when speaking (see Major, 2008, and references therein). Recent work also indicates that learners may transfer their perception of sounds from the first to the second language. In some cases, errors in production and perception are explicitly corrected due to problems with miscommunication. On the other hand, when such errors do not lead to direct misunderstandings, the errors may be left uncorrected, which may lead to fossilization. This article examines a salient characteristic of English-accented Spanish: putting two adjacent vowels in hiatus rather than producing them as a diphthong. Data show that a simple treatment based on direct negative evidence of syllabification can significantly improve learners' knowledge of these Spanish sound sequences.Key words: diphthongs, hiatus, second language acquisition, syllabification, SpanishIntroductionMany second language learners find the development of native or near]native pronunciation of vowels and vowel sequences to be particularly challenging due to differences in articulatory reference points between the native and the new language. Specifically, mastering diphthongs poses particular problems for native speakers of English who are learning Spanish. This study first examined the way in which diphthongs are presented in a selection of Spanish textbooks across a wide range of proficiency levels and then investigated the efficacy of an experimental training technique designed to improve second language learnersf knowledge and perception of Spanish diphthongs. The study focused on phonotactic restrictions in English, or specific sound patterns that are not acceptable in certain positions in English words, and considered how phonotactic knowledge affected studentsf perception of Spanish diphthongs.BackgroundDiphthongs in SpanishIn Spanish, a gliding rule applies in which the high front vowel /i/ is realized as the glide [j] when it appears adjacent to another vowel and is not stress-bearing (Hualde, 2005). For instance, in a word such as labiado "lipshaped," the orthographic "ia" sequence is produced as the diphthong [ja] rather than as two vowels in hiatus [i.a].1 This is true not only with "ia" sequences but also with orthographic "ie," as in ardiente "ardent"; with "io," as in accion "action"; and with "iu" as in ciudad "city." Many sources related to Spanish phonetics and phonology have supported that this sequence is a single syllable in Spanish. Teschner (2000) further differentiated between the consonantal /j/ that occurs in syllable initial position and the glide /j/ that forms part of the vocalic nucleus and creates a diphthong, defined as a monosyllabic vowel sequence consisting of a high vowel and another vowel (p. 21). He explicitly stated that because diphthongs are monosyllabic, they should never be divided into separate syllables (p. 35). To aid the Spanish learner when differentiating between vowels in hiatus and diphthongs, Barrutiaand Schwegler (1994) offered five general principles: 1. Diphthongs consist of two vowels of differing quality, with one being a semivowel.2. Semi-vowels only occur syllable medially, never in initial position.3. Semi-vowels are never stressed and are thus never tonic vowels.4. Semi-vowels are shorter in length than full vowels.5. Semi-vowels cannot occur alone, or without another vowel. (p. 9; translation ours)Although the guidelines given above are helpful, Hualde (1991) pointed out that it is the lexical properties of the word that determine whether it is produced with a vowel in hiatus or with a diphthong. In fact, all of the sequences that are produced as vowels in hiatus may also be produced as diphthongs in other words, and at times, both options are available. Consider the examples in (1) below.(1) rio "river, I laugh" two syllables,stress on firstrio "He laughed. …