Using a contrastive hierarchy to formalize structural similarity as I-proximity in L3 phonology

Abstract

In this paper I argue that cross-linguistic similarity in third language acquisition is determined by a structural hierarchy of contrastive phonological features. Such an approach allows us formalize a predictive notion of I-proximity which also provides an explanatory model of L2, and L3 phonological knowledge (represented in an integrated I-grammar). The metrics of phonological similarity (i.e., structural not acoustic) are analogous to morphosyntactic similarity in that both morphosyntactic and phonological approaches can compare the outcomes of parsing the L3 input by the L1 hierarchy and by the L2 hierarchy. From this starting point I propose a conservative, incremental learning theory to guide subsequent reconstruction of the L3 grammar. Under this model, it can be argued that phonology is part of Faculty of Language Narrow (FLN). The (gradient) phonetic material comes from outside the FLN but the linguistic computational system converts it to discrete abstract elements that can be manipulated by the learner.

Differential substitution: a contrastive hierarchy account

“…3. The English Contrastive Hierarchy I will not go into much detail as to the activity of the English features (and the role this could play in determining the acquisition path) as the focus of this article is on the initial stages of the acquisition of English interdental fricatives, and not on the restructuring stages of subsequent acquisition stages (see Archibald, 2023).…”

Crosslinguistic influence in L3 acquisition

“…Furthermore, the question arises as to how to assess overall similarity on each of the linguistic 'levels' of the hierarchy proposed by the TPM. For instance, how do we measure overall phonological similarity, what is the level of abstractness in such comparison (see Archibald, 2021Archibald, , 2023, and what should be given more 'weight' in such a summative assessment (see Archibald, 2017;Nelson et al, 2021 for a discussion)?…”