Transfer, Fossilization and Prosodic Drift in Foreign Language Learning

This article aims to shed light on the processes governing the development of prosodic competence in Italian learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL). We have analysed the intonational contours of yes-no questions read by five groups of speakers (A, B, C, E, and P). Groups A, B, and C are learners of EFL at three different levels (beginner, intermediate, and advanced), who have never spent significant periods of time in English-speaking countries. Group E includes advanced learners who have English language experience in the UK. Group P includes Italian professors of EFL, who represent a sample of speakers with both acquisition experience and high proficiency in English. Our results highlight the total lack of improvement from Group A to C, allowing us to suggest the occurrence of prosodic transfer and drifts. On the contrary, speakers who have acquired the language in natural environments show improvements in their FL prosodic competence, but this is identified only in some of the prosodic cues analysed. The cues for which we did not observe improvements are thought to be more vulnerable to fossilization.