Th=?ISO-8859-1?Q?=E8se_?=H. Andreassen : Schwa: distribution and acquisition in light of Swiss French data

[Sophie Wauquier]

Bonsoir

Veuillez trouver ci-dessous le résumé et le lien donnant accès à la 
thèse d'Helene Andreassen : */Schwa: distribution and acquisition in 
light of Swiss French data/*
Bien cordialement.
Sophie Wauquier


http://munin.uit.no/handle/10037/5193

Acquisition of phonological variation in French In adult French 
phonology, schwa is a separate vowel category that either deletes or 
merges with /oe/ in the output. This thesis revolves around the 
distribution, categorisation and acquisition of schwa. We test two main 
hypotheses on the basis of Swiss French adult and child data: one, that 
schwa does not constitute a separate category in early child language, 
and two, that acquisition of schwa alternation, consonant sequencing and 
the reduction of non-prominent syllables are intertwined. The analysis 
of inter-adult judgement data show that the distribution of schwa and 
/oe/ is near-complementary. The implication for acquisition is that 
there are few indications in the input that output [oe] needs to split 
into two categories. The analysis of child-directed speech show that the 
rate of schwa alternation is lower than in inter-adult speech. The 
implication for acquisition is that the categorical distinction between 
schwa and /oe/ is blurred. The analysis of spontaneous and 
semi-controlled child language data show that children in all ages, from 
2;03-3;05, prefer the output variant with schwa. Schwa alternation in 
spontaneous speech is rare, even in children who master consonant 
sequencing and syllable reduction. As for children who do not master 
these aspects of phonology, no spontaneous alternation is attested. In a 
semi-controlled setting, where the child is exposed to the variant 
without schwa, the older children, who master consonant sequencing and 
syllable deletion, are sensitive to the input and produce the variant 
without schwa. As for the children who do not master these aspects, 
sensitivity to the input is low. However, in the rare cases they do show 
sensitivity, they modify the target form in conformity with their grammar.




-- 
Sophie Wauquier
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Professeur
Directrice de l'UMR 7023 "Structures Formelles du Langage"
Université Paris 8 / CNRS

Phone mobile : 06 84 58 22 79
Phone : (33) 01 40 25 10 40

mail : sophie.wauquier at orange.fr

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