Development of voice onset time in monolingual and bilingual French-speaking children

Abstract

This study examined Voice Onset Time (VOT) in monolingual and bilingual French-speaking children, aged 3 to 6 years (n=42), and in monolingual adults (n=15). The bilinguals consisted of those acquiring languages with a long lag – short lag (Bi – Long) and those acquiring languages with a lead – short lag contrast (Bi – Lead). We predicted differences between monolinguals and Bi – Long but no differences between monolinguals and Bi – Lead, given that children in the latter group have the same voicing contrast as French. Children and adults played a Memory game in which they produced target words containing stop consonants in word-initial position. Analyses examined the effect of bilingualism and control variables (age, place of articulation (PoA), vowel type) on positive VOT values and on the presence of lead voicing. Results indicated that monolinguals and both groups of bilinguals produced target voiced and voiceless stops with positive VOTs of similar magnitude. Nevertheless, Bi – Long children who were not dominant in French had longer VOTs than monolinguals, consistent with an influence of the L1 on French. Bi – Long children also produced marginally fewer tokens with lead voicing than monolinguals. In addition, results indicated that age, PoA, and vowel type influenced VOT.