Phonological Variations In Spanish-Influenced English

Phonological Variations in Spanish-Influenced English

Kimberly Robertson

South Carolina State University

Phonological Variations in Spanish-Influenced English

Introduction

The Hispanic population in the United States constitutes the nation’s largest ethnic or racial minority. As of July 1, 2012, there were approximately 53 million Hispanics in the United States, accounting for 17% of the nation’s population. The projected Hispanic population in the United States for the year 2060 is 128.8 million, which according to this projection will constitute 31% of the nation’s population (Newsroom, 2013). These demographics present a high probability of the likelihood that a speech-language pathologist will provide treatment to those from Spanish-speaking cultures. In the field of speech-language pathology, it is important to consider the differences between Spanish and English speech acquisition in order to differentiate between disordered speech and typical speech acquisition processes (Roseberry-McKibbin & Hegde, 2011).

Phonology

Spanish and English share a similar alphabet, with the Spanish sound system being more concise. Many differences are revealed when comparing the phonologies of the two languages. These differences will influence the speech of Spanish speakers learning English. Speakers may transfer their knowledge of Spanish to English. Understanding these differences is important to the speech-language pathologist in order to realize why some English sounds are more difficult for the Spanish speaker to produce than others (Gorman & Kester, 2001).

Vowel Systems

Spanish relies on five vowels: /a/, /e/, /i/, /o/, and /u/. While these vowels are found in English, the English language contains an...

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...edge of the language and rules will only benefit one’s ability to diagnose and treat speech and language disorders.

References

Gorman, B.K. & Kester, E.S. (2001). Spanish-influenced English: Typical phonological patterns in the English language learner. In Seminar offered by Bilingiustics at ASHA.

Newsroom. (2013). Facts for features: Hispanic heritage month 2013: Sept. 15. Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/ archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/cb13-ff19.html

Roseberry-McKibbin, C. & Hegde, M.N. (2011). Communication disorders in multicultural populations. An advanced review of speech-language pathology: preparation for the PRAXIS and comprehensive examination (pp. 425-427). Austin, TX: PRO-ED, Inc.

Typical development of speech in Spanish in comparison to English. (2007). In Seminar offered by Bilingiustics at ASHA.