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4 - Phrasal Prosody of Heritage Speakers of Samoan in Aotearoa New Zealand

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 February 2024

By
Sasha Calhoun ,
Corinne Seals ,
Toaga Christina Alefosio  and
Niusila Faamanatu-Eteuati
Edited by
Rajiv Rao
Rajiv Rao
Affiliation:
University of Wisconsin, Madison
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Summary

We present an analysis of phrasal prosody, with an emphasis on focus-marking, for heritage speakers of Samoan in Aotearoa New Zealand. The analysis is based on recordings of four speakers doing a picture-description task designed to elicit different focus positions and types, from an earlier study of home country Samoan (Calhoun, 2015). All speakers showed features of phrasal prosody similar to those found for home country Samoan; however, there was considerable variation between speakers. We relate this to the language background of the speakers, and their attitudes and beliefs toward their heritage language. In particular, there were differences between generation 1.5 and 2 speakers, relating to their engagement with and beliefs about their university Samoan language classes. This shows the importance of these factors in the acquisition and maintenance of prosodic features, similar to other more-studied language features.

Keywords

Aotearoafocusintonationlanguage acquisitionlanguage maintenanceNew ZealandprosodySamoan
Type
Chapter
Information
The Phonetics and Phonology of Heritage Languages , pp. 84 - 106
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

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