Estebas Vilaplana, Eva2026-03-122026-03-122017-08-09Estebas-Vilaplana, E. (2017). “How Imitation can Help the Acquisition of L2 Pronunciation”. Proceedings of Phonetics Teaching and Learning Conference (PTLC 2017). University College London. Londres. pp. 39-43.https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14468/32103The aim of this paper is to examine the production of English stress-timed rhythm and the weak vowel schwa by Spanish students of English when they speak L2 English and L1 Spanish with an imitated English accent. The hypothesis is that Spanish students of English have a better command of English rhythm and weak vowels in imitated speech than in L2 speech. The productions of four Spanish students of English in three reading conditions (L1 Spanish, imitated English and L2 English) were analysed and compared to those of English speakers. The results showed that the Spanish speakers’ productions of English rhythm and the schwa are closer to “real” English in the imitation scenario than in the L2 speech. These findings support the idea that a topdown approach to phonetics teaching (from rhythm to segments) may be more beneficial for languages with a syllable-timed rhythmic pattern, such as Spanish.eninfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess57 Lingüística5505.10 Filologíaactas de congresorhythmstressweak vowelsL2 pronunciationL2 imitation