Measuring Rhythmic Deviation in Second Language Speech

摘要

This study deals with the question of whether recently provided methods to determine the rhythm class of languages can be transferred to foreign-accented speech. Therefore read German speech of Venezuelan Spanish native speakers was compared with read speech of a native German control group by means of four different measurements. Three of the four applied measurements showed significant differences between the two groups, with one of the differences contradicting earlier expectations. The study has shown that the measurements can be successfully transferred to foreign-accented speech, but slightly modified measurements are suggested.