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Articles

Vol. 28 No. 3 (2025): Second language pronunciation: Current issues and developments

Acquisition of temporal aspects of speech by Canadian English learners of French with previous core vs. immersion backgrounds

DOI
https://doi.org/10.37213/cjal.2025.35902
Submitted
December 17, 2025
Published
2025-12-15

Abstract

We examined articulation rate (AR), length of inter-pausal units (IPUs), and phonetic rhythm in readings by Canadian English learners of French. Previous production studies of second language (L2) French of Anglophone learners present variable findings and, importantly, do not consider these temporal aspects of prosody at the same time. We compared participants’ L2 French productions with their first language (L1) English, and with an L1 native control group, using their previous French instructional background – core or immersion program – as a conduit for their proficiency levels. We found that learners from both groups had distinct phonetic rhythms in their L1 and L2 and demonstrated slower AR and shorter IPUs in their L2 than in L1. At the same time, former immersion students uttered in their L2 as fast as L1 French control group and faster than former core students. Compared to native Francophones, all learners had an even more French-like rhythm and similar IPUs. We discuss these results in terms of training effects, where phonetic rhythm results appear to stem from incomplete mastery of key aspects of the French sound system. Our study supports that learning L2 prosody is both multisystemic and dependent on the acquisition of various phonological processes. Teaching methods should consider this.

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