Language-specific listening : the case of phonetic sequences

Abstract

The research reported in this thesis focuses on the processing of phonetic sequences in both native and non-native spoken language. For the recognition of spoken words adult listeners have learned early in life to make use of phonological regularities that are specific to their native language. But listeners can also learn a second, non-native, language later in life. To what extend can they decide to ignore information coming from the phonological structure of the native language when they listen to a non-native language? And to what extent can they make use of information coming from the phonological structure of the non-native language? The experimental results of this thesis show that adult listeners, when they encounter a non-native language, still apply procedures appropriate for spoken-language processing in their native language, irrespective of whether this facilitates processing or renders it less efficient. Highly proficient non-native listeners seem to succeed in using non-native procedures as well, at least for some aspects of spoken-word recognition. In conclusion, it can be said that the efficiency with which we can process spoken language in our native language reduces the efficiency in listening to a second language learned later in life, at least to the extent that the first and second language differ in aspects of phonological structure