Brünner Beiträge zur Germanistik und Nordistik (Mar 2016)
Hoeveel weten NT2-leerders over de gemarkeerde status van de Nederlandse leenfonemen?
Abstract
It is well-known that borrowed words are often recognisable for native speakers due to certain non-native characteristics. Loan phonemes may also function as such nonnativeness markers, which means that native speakers are aware of the peripheral status of these segments within the native phonology. In this survey, I examined the perception of six Dutch loan consonants ([g], [ɲ], [ʃ], [ʒ], [tʃ], [dʒ]) by Dutch native-speakers and Hungarian second language learners. I argued that, similarly to native speakers, second language learners were able to perceive the marginal status of Dutch loan phonemes, and that this competence would show a certain development during the course of their study. I conducted a magnitude estimation experiment with 52 Hungarian university students of Dutch, 27 native speakers of Dutch and 11 non-Dutch speaking Hungarians. In the survey, participants had to listen to 21 minimal pairs of Dutch pseudo-words, and had to assess the "Dutchness" of each pseudoword relative to its minimal pair. As one word in each minimal pair contained a loan phoneme, it had been expected that these would be judged "less Dutch" than their counterparts. The first part of the hypothesis was justified by the data. The correlation between the results of the group of Hungarian second language learners and the group of Dutch native speaker was higher than that between the students and the non-Dutch speaking Hungarians. However, there was no clear relationship found between the length of language study and nativelike performance. Further longitudinal experiment is needed to support this part of the hypothesis.
