What likely causes a native Spanish speaker to produce the word "shoes" as [tʃuz] during a repetition task?

Study for the Praxis Speech‑Language Pathology Test. Test your skills with multiple choice questions, complete with explanations. Excel in your exam preparation!

Multiple Choice

What likely causes a native Spanish speaker to produce the word "shoes" as [tʃuz] during a repetition task?

Explanation:
The production of the word "shoes" as [tʃuz] indicates that the speaker is likely applying elements of the phonology of their native language, Spanish, to the pronunciation of an English word. In Spanish, the "ch" sound as in "chico" [tʃ] is common, whereas English has distinct sounds that may not exist in the same way in Spanish. Phonological interference occurs when a speaker’s native language patterns impact their pronunciation in a second language. In this case, the Spanish speaker's familiarity with the [tʃ] sound leads them to substitute it for the standard English pronunciation of "shoes," which uses the sound [ʃ]. Therefore, the phonological characteristics of Spanish affect how the speaker articulates English phonemes. The other options do not accurately explain this phenomenon. Semantic interference relates to meaning rather than sound, which wouldn't cause a change in pronunciation. Phonemic or semantic paraphasia are language disruptions seen in individuals with aphasia, but this scenario is more about normal language interference due to the speaker's background rather than a clinical symptom of language processing disorder.

The production of the word "shoes" as [tʃuz] indicates that the speaker is likely applying elements of the phonology of their native language, Spanish, to the pronunciation of an English word. In Spanish, the "ch" sound as in "chico" [tʃ] is common, whereas English has distinct sounds that may not exist in the same way in Spanish.

Phonological interference occurs when a speaker’s native language patterns impact their pronunciation in a second language. In this case, the Spanish speaker's familiarity with the [tʃ] sound leads them to substitute it for the standard English pronunciation of "shoes," which uses the sound [ʃ]. Therefore, the phonological characteristics of Spanish affect how the speaker articulates English phonemes.

The other options do not accurately explain this phenomenon. Semantic interference relates to meaning rather than sound, which wouldn't cause a change in pronunciation. Phonemic or semantic paraphasia are language disruptions seen in individuals with aphasia, but this scenario is more about normal language interference due to the speaker's background rather than a clinical symptom of language processing disorder.

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