A percepção das fricativas alveolares do português brasileiro por hispano-falantes em contexto de aprendizagem de PLE/PFOL

Abstract

During the learning of a second language (L2), a complex process involving the acquisition of several aspects related to the target language’s linguistic structure takes place. During this process, the occurrence of linguistic transfer from the speaker’s native language to the target L2 is possible, and examples of this phenomenon can be found in multiple instances. In the acquisition of an L2 between closely-related languages, such as Brazilian Portuguese (BP) and Spanish (SPA), there is a possibility that linguistic transfer can happen at a substantial rate, thus producing some obstacles to the learning process. By focusing on this issue, attention is given to linguistic transfer in a phonetic-phonological level as displayed by native speakers of Spanish in a BP learning context. For this matter, BP’s consonantal segments, known as alveolar fricatives, are highlighted as subject for analysis. Based on Best & Tyler (2007) and Flege (1995;2007), the perception of both voiced /z/ and voiceless /s/ alveolar fricatives is verified through the data obtained in two tests: a Discriminatory Test and a Simple Identification Test. These were applied to Spanish speakers enrolled in the Portuguese as a Foreign Language (PFL) course at Federal University of Paraná’s Center of Languages and Interculturality, and the Portuguese for Speakers of Other Languages (PSOL) course at Federal Technological University of Paraná’s Academic Department of Foreign Languages. The results showed a considerable performance by the subjects in the Discriminatory Test, thus indicating an above-average perception of the voiced alveolar fricative. However, during the Identification Test, subjects showed lower success rates, in comparison to the results achieved in the first test. For this latter test, the average recognition rate of the /z/ and /s/ segments were relatively similar, thus inferring a slight advantage in identifying the voiceless segment.