Level of proficiency (LoP), unlike other factors, such as L2 status (Cenoz 2001) or linguistic proximity (Westergaard et al. 2016), has not been widely investigated in terms of third language acquisition (TLA). However, it is possible that LoP in L2 (Tremblay 2006), L3 (Wrembel 2010) and the interaction between these factors (Sypiańska and Cal in press) might play an important role in TLA. This study, thus, aims to further examine the aforesaid possibilities by analysing the influence of L2 and L3 LoP and their interaction on the production of L3 vowels in a group of L1 Polish/L2 English/L3 Spanish speakers who differ in terms of LoP in their foreign languages. A MANOVA was conducted to compare the main effects of L2LoP, L3LoP and vowel as well as the interaction effect between these factors on the production of L3 Spanish vowels. The results indicate an influential role of L2LoP and L3LoP and their interaction depending on the vowel being analysed. Low proficiency in one of the languages allowed the other, more proficient one, to impact the production of the L3 Spanish vowels. This interplay of factors expands the understanding of how the L2 and L3 proficiency condition the developing L3.
Although L1 has been treated as a rigid system which is more likely to act as a sender than a receiver of CLI in bilinguals and multilinguals, recent studies have provided some evidence of the influence of both L2 and L3 on L1. The study is aimed at shedding further light on how Lns can influence the native language and how these changes can be explained by means of the Speech Learning Model. The first and second formant of L1 Polish vowels of three groups of multilinguals were compared. Evidence of a systemic influence of L2 on L1 was observed in the raising and backing of L1 Polish vowels due to L2 English and lowering and backing or fronting of L1 Polish vowels due to L2 German. No systemic influence of L3 on L1 was observed. The predictions derived from equivalence classification of SLM were tested for the Polish vowel /ɛ/ and the closest vowels from Lns. The majority of predictions regarding the convergence or divergence of the particular diaphone were supported by the data.
The aim of the article is to investigate cross-linguistic influence (CLI) of foreign languages on the L1 also referred to as L1 drift. The influence is measured by means of the degree of intervocalic stop occlusion in all the languages of L1 Polish, L2 Spanish and L3 English multilinguals. Although Polish is a language with no systemic spirantization of intervocalic stops, the assumption is that if L1 Polish is under the influence of L2 Spanish in multilinguals the degree of intervocalic stop occlusion may be lower in the otherwise non-spirantized context in L1 Polish. The degree of intervocalic stop occlusion is calculated with measures of intensity: Cmin, Vmax; but also with measures of relative intensity used in spirantization research: IntDiff and IntRatio. The results show that only Cmin and Vmax effectively capture the influence of L2 on L1, whereas the extent of the influence is conditioned by how well the speakers master spirantization in their L2 Spanish. Finally, as predicted, the L3 does not constitute a source of influence for the L1.
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