Implicações dialetais (dialeto gaúcho vs. paraibano) na aquisição de obstruintes em coda por aprendizes de inglês (L2): uma análise variacionista

Abstract

This paper aims to verify, in the phonological acquisition of English (L2), the implications of a variable phenomenon of an L1 dialect (Coda Condition Weakening (BISOL, 1999)), as well as the effects of different L1 dialects on the L2 system. We have framed the initial hypothesis that the variable production of obstruents in coda in Portuguese would act as a facilitator in the acquisition of English words. The study was based on L1 and L2 data obtained from subjects from the Southern part of Rio Grande do Sul and from Paraiba, which constitute different Brazilian Portuguese dialects. The data were organized in four independent variables (dialect, type of consonant, stress and sex) and, then, and statistically analyzed, using Goldvarb X (SANKOFF, TAGLIAMONTE and SMITH, 2005). The results revealed significant differences between the number of epenthesis in L1 found in Rio Grande do Sul and in Paraiba. As far as L2 is concerned, not many tokens of epenthesis have been found, which seems to attest that, at least in the acquisition of the target language syllable patterns, those learners already exhibit an interlanguage grammar fairly different from the one found in L1.