Abstract
This study examines the ability to identify the English phonological contrast full vowel-schwa by Spanish learners of English after two different types of training: auditory and articulatory. Perceptual performance was measured in isolated words in order to investigate the effect of training and in sentences to study the robustness of acquisition in generalizing to a context which was not used during training. Subjects were divided into three groups: two experimental groups, one undergoing perceptual training and one undergoing production based training, and a control group. Both experimental groups' perception of the reduced vowel improved significantly after training. Results indicated that students were able to generalize their reduced vowel identification abilities to the new context. The control group did not show any significant improvement. Our findings agree with studies that have demonstrated positive effects of phonetic training (Derwing. Munro & Wiebe, 1998; Rochet, 1995; Cenoz & Garcia Lecumberri, 1995, 1999). Interestingly, the results also support the facilitating view between perception and production since production training proved beneficial in the development of perceptual abilities (Catford & Pisoni, 1970; Mathews, 1997). Finally, our data showed that training resulted in robust learning, since students were able generalize their improved perceptual abilities to a new context.
Highlights
Perception of non-native speech contrasts has been acknowledged to pose difficulties for second language (L2) speakers (Best, 2001)
There are studies (Bongaerts, van Summeren, Planken & Schils, 1997; Markham, 1997; Escudero, 2006) that have shown that L2 speakers can learn to perceive new L2 sounds in a native-like manner and theories such as Flege’s Speech Learning Model (SLM) defend the idea that the native language sound system mechanisms “remain intact over the life span” (1995, p.239) and that it is possible for adult learners to establish new non-native phonetic categories
The original total of 50 was reduced to 41 members (24 female, 17 male, mean age: 15.8) across the three groups: experimental group A (17 subjects) received training based on perceptual cues, experimental group B (17 subjects) underwent vowel reduction training based on production cues and the control group (7 subjects) was not given any specific training
Summary
Perception of non-native speech contrasts has been acknowledged to pose difficulties for second language (L2) speakers (Best, 2001). There are studies (Bongaerts, van Summeren, Planken & Schils, 1997; Markham, 1997; Escudero, 2006) that have shown that L2 speakers can learn to perceive new L2 sounds in a native-like manner and theories such as Flege’s Speech Learning Model (SLM) defend the idea that the native language sound system mechanisms “remain intact over the life span” (1995, p.239) and that it is possible for adult learners to establish new non-native phonetic categories Models such as SLM or the Perceptual Assimilation Model (PAM) predict good acquisition of a non-native sound in specific ‘favourable cases’: SLM considers perception of L2 sounds as filtered though the L1 sounds system and establishes that if a sound is ‘new’ or different from any L1 existing sound, this may be well acquired; PAM (Best, 2001) predicts good to excellent discrimination abilities if a sound is a ‘nonassimilable’ non-speech sound or a sound that “bears no detectable similarity to any native sound” (2001, p.777). These ‘favourable cases’ are viewed by these two quite influential models as acquisition situations in which the L1 has the least possible influence or the smallest possible filtering effect
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