Studying /l/ Vocalization. Methodological Challenges

Abstract

Although the vocalized /l/ has been present in the Bulgarian language for almost half a century, there is no

comprehensive methodology that would encompass the phenomenon in many aspects. Our aim in structuring such a

methodology is to place the phenomenon at the center of various linguistic theoretical frameworks so that it can be justified

and explained. Based on several years of extensive literature research and our own research and experiments, we propose a methodology that examines the vocalized /l/ at different linguistic levels (phonetic and phonological, semantic, pragmatic), foreign language acquisition and teaching, as well as from the perspective of sociocultural factors influencing its dynamics.