The Acquisition of English Syllable-Timeing Patterns by Japanese ESL Learners

Every language has a unique set of rules for timing patterns. If these are not followed, the language becomes disjunct and “foreign” sounding. Although no one specific problem can be identified as the cause of accent, the prosodic feature of syllable length in relation to stress and position-in-utterance can be a contributing factor. Eighteen native Japanese students learning English as a second language were recorded over five months’ time. Syllable lengths were measured in milliseconds and compared with the syllable lengths of advanced ESL learners, native English speakers, and native Japanese speakers. Over the five month study period the beginning ESL learners lengthened syllables considerable but did not match he syllable lengths of native English speakers. At the advanced level, syllable lengths were generally shorter than those of English speakers. However, the advanced learners’ ratios of stress-to-unstress and final-to-non-final syllables approximated the English ratios quite closely. These results add strength to the hypothesis that Japanese ESL learners over time begin to acquire English syllable timing patterns.

Thesis Author: Chamberlain, Cathleen

Year Completed: 1989

Thesis Chair: Ray Graham