36.389, Reviews: L2 Spanish and Italian intonation: Lorenzová (2025)

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LINGUIST List: Vol-36-389. Thu Jan 30 2025. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 36.389, Reviews: L2 Spanish and Italian intonation: Lorenzová (2025)

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Date: 30-Jan-2025
From: Kristýna Lorenzová [k.lorenzova at mail.muni.cz]
Subject: Language Acquisition: Lorenzová (2025)


Book announced at https://linguistlist.org/issues/35-1881

Title: L2 Spanish and Italian intonation
Subtitle: Accounting for the different patterns displayed by L1 Czech
and German learners
Series Title: Open Romance Linguistics
Publication Year: 2023

Publisher: Language Science Press
           http://langsci-press.org
Book URL: https://langsci-press.org/catalog/book/384

Author(s): Andrea Pešková

Reviewer: Kristýna Lorenzová

SUMMARY
When learning a foreign language (L2), the desire to sound like a
native speaker is nearly universal, yet, achieving it might be really
challenging – if not impossible. In fact, the “foreign accent” will
likely still be present to some extent. While learners focus on
mastering grammar and vocabulary, less emphasis is placed on
pronunciation and especially intonation – a fundamental component of
effective communication, with its own grammar fulfilling different
functions within a linguistic system. However, this area remains still
underinvestigated and it's frequently assumed to be acquired
intuitively. Its peripherality is also demonstrated by the limited
number of studies in second language research (SLA). The book “L2
Spanish and Italian intonation” examines the melodic patterns produced
by Czech and German native speakers learning Spanish and Italian as a
foreign language L2 and evaluates the intonation patterns of L2
interlanguages in different types of sentences. Focusing on these
learners, the book aims to fill a research gap by providing the first
comprehensive contrastive analysis of intonational meaning in Spanish,
Italian, German and Czech.
The book is divided into 6 chapters. At the beginning, the reader will
find a preface, acknowledgements and a list of abbreviations, while at
the end there are two appendices, including both intonation
questionnaires in all four languages and a Tonal inventory, as well as
ToBI-based labels, references and a name index.
Chapter 1 “Introduction” presents the focus of the study: the
investigation of how Czech and German adult learners of Spanish and
Italian as a second language (L2) acquire intonation. It aims to (1)
fill a research gap by offering a contrastive analysis of intonational
meaning in the four languages concerned; (2) explore the impact of two
L1s and L2s using Contrastive Interlanguage Analysis (Granger 1996);
(3) interpret the findings in the light of L2 Intonation Learning
theory (Mennen 2015), and (4) outline intonation modelling and the
transcription process. The chapter then considers five core areas of
L2 behaviour proposed by Towell/Hawkins (1994) – incompleteness,
cross-linguistic influence, developmental sequences, systematicity,
and variability – which help to understand L2 speech in general and to
formulate initial research questions and hypotheses. The chapter
concludes with a brief overview of L2 intonation in language contact
and SLA studies, highlighting its limitations in the latter.
Chapter 2 “Theoretical background” is divided into four main parts,
beginning with (1) a discussion of both traditional and less
traditional factors affecting L2 speech (despite contradictory
opinions about their effectiveness). The focus is on the degree of
foreign accent, namely L1 background, L2 proficiency level, age of
learning, role of input, phonological awareness, personal variables
and other influences (e.g. motivation, appropriate learning style,
strength of the attitude towards the target language and the role of
(self-)identification). The second section (2) looks more closely at
the definition of intonation and the possibilities for modelling it,
with a particular focus on the Tones and Break Indices (ToBI)
annotation system, one of the most widely used systems for annotating
intonation, grounded in the Autosegmental-Metrical Model (AM) of
intonational phonology. The third section (3) is devoted to the ways
in which the four languages in question differ in terms of their
phonological systems, covering both segmental and suprasegmental
features. This discussion is then connected to theoretical models,
specifically Mennen’s (2015) L2 Intonation Learning theory, which
attempts to interpret cross-linguistic influence (CLI) and predict
what types of difficulties occur in non-native speech.
Chapter 3 “Data and methodology” describes the experimental design
used for the following study, that is an hour-long production
experiment composed of several tasks (imitation task, two reading
tasks, semi-directed conversation and an intonation questionnaire).
However, for this study only the data from the last experimental task,
that is the intonation questionnaire called the Discourse Completion
Task (DCT) were used, during which a total of 60 adult L2 learners (40
L2 Spanish and 20 L2 Italian with L1 Czech and German) with
independent (B) and half proficient (C) levels of proficiency (CEFR)
were asked to read a prepared answer to a set of questions about 25
everyday situations. Moreover, 24 natives (6 L1 Spanish, 6 L1 Italian,
6 Czech and 6 German) as a control group participated in data
collection. This task, despite its original aim for L1 speakers, was
adapted to be possible to use for L2 speakers (using basic structures
of sentence types, simplification of the prompted contexts, visual
materials and a prepared answer to be read aloud instead of reacting
with their own words to the situation). A detailed description of the
experimental process and the methods employed to analyse and evaluate
the data can be found in this chapter.
Chapter 4 “L2 Spanish and L2 Italian intonation patterns” provides an
analysis of the main results of intonational patterns in L2 Spanish
and L2 Italian, organised according to sentence types: 1) neutral
statements, 2) non-neutral statements, 3) yes/no questions, 4)
wh-questions and 5) vocatives. Each section presents and compares the
intonational properties of the four L1 languages, along with
hypotheses derived from the main features, then presents the L2
outcomes with illustrative examples of intonational contours and
concludes with a summary and discussion. The tonal analysis includes
examples from both the learners’ and controls’ productions.
Chapter 5 “General discussion” is an overall summary of the main
findings, together with a discussion of how and in what areas
(according to sentence type and tonal event) the learner varieties
differ from each other; how the phonological pattern chosen by the L2
learners is appropriate when compared to the L1 productions and some
ideas (including one related to the “Phonological control rubric” in
CEFR) on how to improve intonation in an L2; what are the results of
the deviations in the four dimensions of intonation (systemic,
phonetic, semantic, frequency) assumed in the L2 Intonation Learning
theory (LILt) and, in the final section, whether it is possible to
observe some developmental sequences.
Chapter 6 “Conclusions” provides final remarks as well as limitations
of the book, thus leaving room for future research on intonation.
EVALUATION
Overall, the book is very informative and readable. The first two
chapters (Chapters 1-2) outline the aims and hypotheses of the study,
while also offering a detailed review of the literature that forms the
basis of the entire work. These introductory chapters provide clear
and thorough explanations of key concepts in L2 speech and intonation,
ensuring a solid framework for understanding the analysis and findings
presented in the later sections, particularly Chapters 4 and 5.
The methodological framework of this study is very systematic and
precise, particularly in the description of the experimental design
and participant metadata. It includes a wide range of variables, that
is gender, age, occupation, L1 variety, and proficiency level, but
also language experience abroad, age of L2 learning, language use and
knowledge of additional foreign languages. The study also carefully
considers the participants’ dialectal backgrounds – distinguishing
between Bohemian and Moravian Czech dialects and the Western North
High German variety – and the linguistic varieties of the target
language input to which participants were exposed. While controlling
for such exposure is inherently challenging and may limit the
homogeneity of participant groups, these factors were meticulously
documented to enhance the reliability of the findings. The analysis
specifically emphasises linguistic background and proficiency level to
explain data variation, while leaving other factors – such as quality
of input, duration of immersion in L2-speaking countries, formal
instructions, phonological awareness, and personal factors related to
general talent for pronunciation, music skills, mimicry and memory –
for future investigation. Indeed, these factors are recognised as
critical, given their potential influence on L2 speech acquisition.
This study is innovative in several aspects. First, it is innovative
in its experimental design:   data was obtained through an intonation
questionnaire specifically adapted for this research but forming part
of a large production experiment involving several tasks. The
methodology was based on the “(Inter-)Fonología del Español
Contemporáneo ((I)FEC)” corpus project (Pustka et al. 2016, 2018).
Secondly, the analysis is novel in its cross-sectional approach,
combining languages in a new way within the field of intonation
acquisition. It employs multidirectional Contrastive Interlanguage
Analysis (Granger, 1996) to compare Spanish as an L2 produced by
learners with two different L1s (Czech and German), as well as
examines two different L2s (Spanish and Italian) produced by learners
with the same L1 (Czech).
Not only does the research contribute valuable insights to SLA theory,
but it also provides practical implications for foreign language
teaching, particularly calling for an increased awareness of
intonation in the classroom. Furthermore, it provides space for future
research. A specific proposal is presented for integrating intonation
skills into the CEFR’s characterization of Phonology control
descriptors. Moreover, the study introduces a Developmental L2
Intonation Hypothesis that addresses the challenges of comparing L2
intonation with L1 norms. These challenges include inter-speaker
variation in L1 performance, limited prior research, and the complex
interplay of intonation with other prosodic phenomena, gestures, and
lexical elements. Despite these obstacles, the author outlines a
preliminary framework for measuring the production accuracy of L2
intonation patterns.
The structure of the book is designed to guide the reader through a
clear and logical progression, despite the presence of numerous
acronyms for tonal entities which may be challenging, particularly for
less experienced readers. Each section builds on the previous one,
resulting in a well-organized and in-depth examination of the topic.
Key definitions and aspects are numbered and separated from the main
text, as are well-explained figures and tables, making it easy for
readers to quickly find and refer to them.
The book is definitely a significant contribution to the field of
linguistic acquisition of L2 intonation, language typology and
language teaching. The accessible writing style and detailed and
systematic explanations ensure that the book is suitable not only for
specialists in the field, but also for a broader audience, including
lay readers and students.
REFERENCES
CEFR. 2001. Common European framework of reference for languages:
Learning, teaching, assessment. Language Policy Program. Strasbourg:
Council of Europe.
https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=090000168045b15e
(20 November, 2024).
CEFR. 2011. Common European framework of reference for languages:
Learning, teaching, assessment. Language Policy Program. Strasbourg:
Council of Europe.
https://www.coe.int/en/web/common-european-framework-reference-languages
(20 November, 2024).
CEFR. 2018. Common European framework of reference for languages:
Learning, teaching, assessment. Companion volume with new descriptors.
Language Policy Program. Strasbourg: Council of Europe.
https://www.coe.int/en/web/common-european-framework-reference-languages
(20 November, 2024).
Granger, Sylviane. 1996. From CA to CIA and back: An integrated
contrastive approach to computerized bilingual and learner corpora. In
Karin Aijmer, Bengt Altenberg & Mats Johansson (eds.), Languages in
contrast: Text-based cross-linguistic studies (Lund Studies in English
88), 37–51. Lund: Lund University Press.
Mennen, Ineke. 2015. Beyond segments: Towards a L2 intonation learning
theory. In Elisabeth Delais-Roussarie, Mathieu Avanzi & Sophie Herment
(eds.), Prosody and language in contact: L2 acquisition, attrition and
languages in multilingual situations (Prosody, Phonology and
Phonetics), 171–188. Heidelberg: Springer. DOI:
10.1007/978-3-662-45168-7_9.
Pustka, Elissa, Christoph Gabriel & Trudel Meisenburg. 2016. Romance
corpus phonology: From (Inter-)Phonologie du Français Contemporain
(I)PFC to (Inter-)Fonología del Español Contemporáneo (I)FEC. In
Christoph Draxler & Felicitas Kleber (eds.), Proceedings P und P12
(Tagung Phonetik und Phonologie im deutschsprachigen Raum), 151–154.
München: LMU.
Pustka, Elissa, Christoph Gabriel, Trudel Meisenburg, Monja Burkard &
Kristina Dziallas. 2018. (Inter-)Fonología del Español Contemporáneo
(I)FEC: Methodology of a research program for corpus phonology.
Loquens 5(1). 1–16.  DOI: 10.3989/loquens.2018.046.
Towell, Richard & Roger Hawkins. 1994. Approaches to second language
acquisition. Clevedon & Philadelphia: Multilingual Matters.
ABOUT THE REVIEWER
Kristýna Lorenzová is a PhD student in Romance Languages -
Experimental and Applied Linguistics, at the Department of Romance
Languages and Literatures at Masaryk University in Brno (Czech
Republic). Her research interests lie in areas, such as pragmatics,
corpus linguistics, as well as L2/LS acquisition, in particular the
acquisition of Italian by learners with L1 Slavic. Her doctoral thesis
is dedicated to the development of discourse markers in the
interlanguage of Czech and Slovak (possibly also other Slavic L1, such
as Ukrainian and Russian) learners of Italian as a non-mother tongue.



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