A comparison of phonetic and semantic sensitivity in native speakers and second-language learners

Abstract

Speech signals can be described/analyzed along increasingly abstract dimensions, ranging from acoustic to syntactic to semantic concerns. For native speaker-hearers, many analyses are automatic, with in general, semantic analyses being the focal point. For individuals learning a language, many analyses seem to require a more conscious direction of attention. The probe paradigm was used to empirically compare the phonetic and semantic processing done by native English speakers and Latin Americans learning English as a second language (Lado range average to superior). In the probe paradigm, an utterance is presented to the listener. A probe word that may or may not be from the utterance follows. The listener must immediately indicate whether or not that probe was from the preceding utterance. The dependent variable is reaction time. In all cases, the reaction times of the Latins were longer than for the natives. Probes phonetically similar to a word in the utterance were always more disruptive to the Latins relative both to other kinds of probes and to the native speakers.