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Prosodic Disambiguation in Japanese: A Comparative Study of Native Speakers and Swedish L2 Learners

Cheng, Chen LU (2025) SPVR01 20251
Master's Programme: Language and Linguistics
Japanese Studies
Abstract
This thesis investigates whether intermediate and advanced Swedish learners of Japanese
language can use prosodic cues—particularly pitch-based features such as downstep—to
differentiate between structurally ambiguous noun phrases, specifically those having both left
branching (LB) and right branching (RB) interpretations, in spoken Japanese in the same way as
native speakers. It also examines whether their prosody pattern is influenced by syntactic
awareness. Moreover, it studies whether advanced and intermediate learners exhibit differences in
their prosodic realization.
To this end, speech data was collected from native speakers and learners under two reading
tasks: spontaneous and awareness-guided. Results indicate that... (More)
This thesis investigates whether intermediate and advanced Swedish learners of Japanese
language can use prosodic cues—particularly pitch-based features such as downstep—to
differentiate between structurally ambiguous noun phrases, specifically those having both left
branching (LB) and right branching (RB) interpretations, in spoken Japanese in the same way as
native speakers. It also examines whether their prosody pattern is influenced by syntactic
awareness. Moreover, it studies whether advanced and intermediate learners exhibit differences in
their prosodic realization.
To this end, speech data was collected from native speakers and learners under two reading
tasks: spontaneous and awareness-guided. Results indicate that while in general learners
demonstrate native-like pitch patterns (downstep), clear variation within learner group was
observed across proficiency levels: advanced learners exhibited more stable, native-like phrasing,
but intermediate learners often showed inconsistent pitch pattern. In addition, awareness of
different syntactic interpretation resulted in native speakers’ prosody pattern to be more salient,
but it did not lead to better prosodic realization of L2 learners. These findings highlight the
pedagogical value of incorporating sentence-level prosody into L2 instruction—particularly for
helping learners bridge the gap between syntactic understanding and prosodic realization, thereby
acquiring more native-like intonation and fostering better communication skills. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Cheng, Chen LU
supervisor
organization
course
SPVR01 20251
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Syntax–prosody mapping, downstep, L2 prosody, awareness, Swedish learners
language
English
id
9201556
date added to LUP
2025-06-19 08:32:14
date last changed
2025-06-19 08:32:14
@misc{9201556,
  abstract     = {{This thesis investigates whether intermediate and advanced Swedish learners of Japanese 
language can use prosodic cues—particularly pitch-based features such as downstep—to 
differentiate between structurally ambiguous noun phrases, specifically those having both left 
branching (LB) and right branching (RB) interpretations, in spoken Japanese in the same way as 
native speakers. It also examines whether their prosody pattern is influenced by syntactic 
awareness. Moreover, it studies whether advanced and intermediate learners exhibit differences in 
their prosodic realization.
To this end, speech data was collected from native speakers and learners under two reading 
tasks: spontaneous and awareness-guided. Results indicate that while in general learners 
demonstrate native-like pitch patterns (downstep), clear variation within learner group was 
observed across proficiency levels: advanced learners exhibited more stable, native-like phrasing, 
but intermediate learners often showed inconsistent pitch pattern. In addition, awareness of 
different syntactic interpretation resulted in native speakers’ prosody pattern to be more salient, 
but it did not lead to better prosodic realization of L2 learners. These findings highlight the 
pedagogical value of incorporating sentence-level prosody into L2 instruction—particularly for 
helping learners bridge the gap between syntactic understanding and prosodic realization, thereby 
acquiring more native-like intonation and fostering better communication skills.}},
  author       = {{Cheng, Chen}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Prosodic Disambiguation in Japanese: A Comparative Study of Native Speakers and Swedish L2 Learners}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}