Mirror Phonological Distributions in L1–L2 Mappings: [d ð ɾ] in L1 Spanish Learners of General American English

Abstract

The three phones [d ð ɾ] exist in both Spanish and some varieties of English (e.g., General American English). However, their phonological status differs across the two languages, creating a challenge for L1 Spanish learners of L2 English. This study examines the development of allophonic union and allophonic split involving these three phones. In allophonic split, the L1 allophones of /d/ ([d] and [ð]) must be mapped onto separate L2 phonemes (/d/ and /ð/), whereas in allophonic union, the L1 phonemes /d/ and /ɾ/ must be mapped as allophones of a single L2 phoneme (/d/). Ten Costa Rican Spanish speakers completed a production task targeting English /ð/ in word-initial and intervocalic contexts and English /d/ in intervocalic context. The results reveal a complex distribution of the three phones in the learners’ interlanguage, reflecting persistent L1 influence, emerging target-like patterns, and productive phonological processes that cannot be explained solely by either L1 transfer or L2 input.