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Variation in Second and Heritage Languages: Crosslinguistic perspectives
Edited by Robert Bayley, Dennis R. Preston and Xiaoshi Li
[Studies in Language Variation 28] 2022
► pp. 127–158

Chapter 6
Spanish rhotic variation and development in uninstructed immersion

ORCID logo | University of Wyoming
ORCID logo | University of Mississippi

Perhaps due to the salient differences between English and Spanish rhotics, there has been a robust discussion regarding the acquisition of Spanish taps and trills by first language (L1) English speakers. Previous studies that have explored rhotic development have suggested that while there is a significant increase in accuracy of producing taps and trills as Spanish proficiency level increases (Face 2006; Olsen 2012), even advanced learners or learners with intense exposure to the language still face difficulty in producing the trill (Major 1986; Reeder 1998). Despite the contributions of previous studies, it remains unclear how learners develop the tap and trill in real time (as opposed to apparent time), to what extent the two rhotic sounds develop differently, and the role of additional linguistic and extralinguistic factors apart from phonological context and exposure. This study contributes to the discussion of Spanish rhotic development by tracking uninstructed L1 English learners in an Ecuadorian immersion setting for one year, providing an analysis of development in real time. By applying variationist methodology using the mixed-effects model Rbrul (Johnson 2009), we explore the role of phonological context, lexical stress, word class, cognate status, target word syllables, proficiency, exposure, speech style, and individual differences in the development of native-like taps and trills. We find that phonological context, word class, exposure, and speech style significantly condition tap production, while there are no significant predictors found for trill production. Furthermore, we see that target tap production accuracy grows throughout the year-long stay abroad, but target trill production shows no improvement.

Keywords: rhotics, Spanish tap acquisition, Spanish trill acquisition, sociolinguistic approaches, uninstructed immersion
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • Background
    • The rhotic systems of English and Spanish
    • Empirical studies on L2 rhotic development
      • How rhotics develop over time: Cross-sectional and longitudinal studies
      • Factors influencing rhotic development: Variationist studies
    • Contributions and research questions
  • Methods
    • Participants
    • Setting
    • Instruments
      • Versant oral proficiency test
      • Background questionnaire
      • Reading task
      • Sociolinguistic interview
    • Analysis
      • Rhotic extraction and classification
      • Statistical analysis
  • Results
    • General rhotic results
    • Target tap results
    • Target trill results
  • Discussion
    • Tap analysis
    • Trill analysis
  • Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
  • Appendix
Published online: 14 July 2022
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/silv.28.06esc
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