Adapting second language phonemic perception training to common instructional situations: Initial results.

Abstract

Although current L2 pedagogy de‐emphasizes phoneme‐level pronunciation training, laboratory experiments demonstrate benefits from training non‐natives in perception of difficult target‐language phonemic contrasts. Specifically, evidence shows that learners’ perceptual performance improves (Jamieson Morosan, 1986; Flege, 1995), improvements generalize to new talkers and words (Lively, Logan, Pisoni, 1993), perceptual training triggers production improvements (i.e., without production training, Bradlow et al., 1997), and both perceptual (Lively et al., 1994) and production improvements (Bradlow et al., 1999) are maintained over several months. These laboratory studies typically used intensive protocols, with long sessions, several days per week, for 2–3 weeks. We have adapted such protocols for use in common L2 instructional situations, using short sessions spread over a longer study period, and have begun training Japanese and other Asian students on the English /l‐r/ contrast using this new regimen. This paper reports on initial results and some comparisons with studies using the earlier more intense protocols.