Filologija, No. 32, 1999.
Original scientific paper
PHONOLOGICAL INTEGRATION OF ENGLISH TRANSFERS IN CROATIAN: EVIDENCE FROM THE CROATIAN SPEECH OF SECOND-GENERATION CROATIAN-AUSTRALIANS
Jim Hlavač
; Monash University, Clayton, Vic., Australia
Abstract
This paper examines the process of phonological integration (replacement
of donor language phonemes with recipient language phonemes)
of English-origin forms in the Croatian speech of second-generation informants in Australia. Phonological integration is determined primarily
by the phonetic form and secondarily by the graphemic form of the original
Australian English item. It is shown that Australian English vowel
phonemes not found in Croatian (e.g. select monophthongs, diphthongs,
triphthongs) are nearly always replaced by Croatian vowel phonemes
which are dosest to them in terms of place of articulation, ie. partial
or compromise transphonemisation in Filipović's (1978) terms. The same applies to consonant phonemes which also undergo complete or partial/
compromise transphonemisation, except for a select group of phonemes,
/θ/, /∂/, /w/, /η/, which retain their phonemic form and remain 'untransphonemised'.
This leads to instances where within the same item certain phonemes are transphonemised while others remain unchanged. Phonological integration is therefore shown to be a process which is relative rather than absolute. This process, which can be represented as a continuum ranging from donor-language phonemes at one extreme and their equivalent recipient-language phonemes at the other, allows for donor-language phoneme substitution with phonemes which may be situated anywhere along this continuum, ie. integration itself may be partial or complete.
'Non-transphonemisation' of /θ/, /∂/, /w/, /η/ is shown to be linguistically and perhaps also sociolinguistically motivated. Linguistically, the articulatory 'distance' between these four phonemes and any Croatian phonemes is perceived to be sufficiently great that transphonemisation ceases to be a felicitous option. Sociolinguistically, non-transphonemisation of these four phonemes may represent a feature typical of linguistic competence which is itself revealing of generational-membership of Speaker. There is, however, much counter-evidence elsewhere in the sample that suggests that linguistic features indicating generational-membership of Speaker are more likely to be expressed through other linguistic phenomena, i.e. code-switching into English.
Keywords
Croatian; English; transphonemisation; code-switching
Hrčak ID:
165439
URI
Publication date:
13.12.1999.
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