Working from within a Universal Grammar framework, this work focuses on parametric variation in the prosodic features of Cantonese and Japanese and offers a comparative analysis of how these prosodic structures may influence second language (L2) learner error. As Yuk Wah Lai explains in chapter 1, her thesis challenges traditional representations of these two typologically distinct languages and posits underlying systems that are better able to elucidate crosslinguistic prosodic transfer in foreign language acquisition.
Chapter 2 comprises a detailed examination of the prosodic features of pitch and duration in Cantonese. Departing from prior scholarship, the author argues that contemporary Cantonese is not representative of a syllable-timed language in which syllables are of essentially equal length. She proposes that Cantonese is becoming “more and more polysyllabic as a rhythmic unit” (p. 73). This analysis is motivated by her own intuitions and by a wealth of observations of L2 learners of Cantonese from both stress-timed and syllable-timed first language backgrounds. The author believes that misconceptions about the realization of stress in Cantonese derive partially from outdated observations and partially from a reliance on experimental production of the language that alters its natural prosodic patterns (something that has also been claimed for English when speakers read a text aloud; Brazil, Reference Brazil1997). Thus, Yuk Wah Lai proposes the Cantonese stress hypothesis, which posits an iambic foot structure in natural speech comprising both a weak and full syllable indicated primarily by durational stress.
Chapter 3 examines Japanese prosody. As with Cantonese, Yuk Wah Lai claims that an overreliance on Western linguistic approaches and languages has prevented an accurate evaluation of Japanese phonology. Following a brief overview of four traditional approaches to Japanese syllable structure, the author settles on the moraic approach, which allows for a clarification of the phonological relationship between the syllable and its subordinate mora. The pervasive view of isochronous Japanese syllables is minimized, with the caveat that, “although there is no perfect mora isochrony, mora-timing is real” (p. 163). Together, mora count and timing determine the segmental duration of an utterance. The remainder of this chapter works through mora, tonal, and pitch behaviors of the language to develop a convincing model of Japanese prosodic organization from the lexical level to the utterance level. Again, this is substantiated by numerous examples from Lai’s own observations.
Chapter 4 unites the analyses proposed in the previous chapters in a model of crosslinguistic prosodic transfer. The prosodic features of English are used as the basis for the description of the typical prosodic transfer patterns in these L2 learners before the discussion shifts to transfer between Cantonese and Japanese. No specific data are referenced here; however, examples of transfer effects are clearly interpreted for the reader based on prior analyses of both languages. Yuk Wah Lai focuses on durational transfer, which has previously been neglected because Cantonese was assumed to share a more rigid rhythmic tempo with Japanese, and on pitch behavior.
In chapter 4, Yuk Wah Lai provides clear theoretical reasoning to support raising awareness of the transfer of prosodic structure from a tacit to a conscious level for L2 learners; in chapter 5, she goes on to propose pedagogical activities that build on her observations. However, there is currently no empirical support for the success of this approach, and the notion of awareness building as a panacea for crosslinguistic prosodic transfer seems overly simplistic. Yuk Wah Lai is aware of the need for experimental support and offers a number of suggestions for empirical work in her Appendix 1. In sum, the author offers a new perspective on prosodic typologies as they relate to Cantonese and Japanese and, perhaps more importantly, on how these typologies can inform crosslinguistic transfer between non-Western languages. This volume will be of interest to both phonologists and SLA researchers. On a final note, this is probably not a book for readers who have no experience with phonological theory, as some familiarity is assumed by the author; however, her argumentation is carefully laid out, and the book is an accessible read.
