L2 Acquisition of [(beta)], [(eth)], and [(ram's horns)] in Spanish: Impact of Experience, Linguistic Environment, and Learner Variables

This study examines the influence of L2 experience, learner variables, prosody, and orthography on the L2 acquisition of the approximants [(beta)], [(eth)], and [(ram's horns)] in Spanish by 36 English-speaking learners. The results suggest that accuracy in the production of [(beta)], [(eth)], and [(ram's horns)] was significantly related to the following factors: age of first exposure to Spanish, amount of formal instruction in Spanish, residence in a Spanish-speaking country, amount of out-of-class contact with Spanish, and concern with pronunciation. Gender was not statistically related to accuracy. In addition, the results suggest that participants were significantly more accurate in producing [(beta)], [(eth)], and [(ram's horns)] in unstressed syllables, compared to stressed syllables. Adapted from the source document