The perception of prominence in L2 German. A preliminary assessment using periodic-energy-based measurements.

This exploratory study investigates how Italian learners of L2 German perceive prosodic prominence in comparison to their native and target languages. By analysing the most selected words from spontaneous utterance phrases (UPs) drawn from Italian and German podcasts on sustainability, we examine the acoustic cues associated with prominence, such as F0 modulations and periodic energy. Results reveal that L2 learners tend to associate prominence with strong prosodic energy, while native German speakers are more influ-enced by F0 modulations across adjacent syllables. L1 Italian speakers prefer F0 modulations within syllables and, like learners, show a secondary preference for strong energy. These findings suggest a shift in the learners' interlanguage system as they move away from L1 patterns towards those of the target language.