“If a perceptual problem exists, what are its roots?” Types of cross-language similarity, hypercorrection, and unexplored root canals

Abstract

James Jenkins had a keen interest in the nature of perceptual problems of nonnative listeners and in the perceived similarity of speech sounds. This presentation reports on a series of experiments which examined how well four different types of similarity predict nonnative speech perception. The different types are ecphoric and perceptual cross-language similarity, perceived within-language similarity, and acoustic similarity. One set of experiments examined how well cross-language perceptual assimilation (English to Danish) and within- language similarity ratings (English-English) of English consonants by Danish listeners predict Danes’ identification of English consonants. Another set of experiments explored the roots of English listeners’ discrimination problems for the closely spaced Danish unrounded front vowels by relating these problems to two types of perceived cross-language similarity (ecphoric and perceptual) and to acoustic similarity. Results suggest that each of the four types of similarity accounts for some of the perceptual problems, but none does so exhaustively, probably because the root system of these problems is affected by additional factors including nonnative listeners’ hypercorrection and by perceptual asymmetries. The clear conclusion from these experiments is that Jim’s question will keep us busy for quite some time. [Work supported by Carlsberg Foundation and Inge Lehmanns Legat af 1983.]