PALATALIZATION IN BRAZILIAN PORTUGUESE AND ITS EFFECTS ON THE PHONOLOGICAL LEARNING OF ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

Abstract

This paper investigates the effects of Brazilian Portuguese (BP) alveolar stop palatalization /t, d/ → [tʃ, dʒ] on the phonological learning of English as a Foreign Language (EFL). It aims to answer the following research question: What is the role of BP palatalization on EFL phonological learning? Grounded on a usage-based view of language (BYBEE, 2010), it is hypothesized that EFL learners follow different phonological learning patterns depending on their specific BP dialect. Data analysis confirms this hypothesis, as palatalizing BP informants tend to produce higher levels of palatalization in the target language.