Phonological knowledge of rhotics in English L2 of brazilian speakers

Abstract

This article discusses the appropriation of rhotics in English-L2 spoken by Brazilian speakers. The results show that rhotics are quickly incorporated into the English-L2 speakers' production. A detailed examination of the data indicates that the following factors are relevant in the appropriation of retroflex approximant in English-L2: proficiency, the individual (learner) and the lexical item. The fact that the appropriation of the retroflex approximant quickly achieves excellent levels in English-L2 spoken by Brazilian speakers suggests that teaching of pronunciation is specific and not global. Based on Multirepresentational Models, it is argued that grammatical knowledge is a dynamic construct, interlaced by various linguistic and non-linguistic factors.

Keywords:
Rhotic; Retroflex Approximant; Exemplar Models; Multirepresentational Models