Abstract
Purpose Former studies suggested that music perception can help produce certain accentual features in the first and second language (L2), such as intonational contours. What was missing in many of these studies was the identification of the exact relationship between specific music perception skills and the production of different accentual features in a foreign language. Our aim was to verify whether empirically tested musical hearing skills can be related to the acquisition of English vowels by learners of English as an L2 before and after a formal accent training course. Method Fifty adult Polish speakers of L2 English were tested before and after a two-semester accent training in order to observe the effect of musical hearing on the acquisition of English vowels. Their L2 English vowel formant contours produced in consonant-vowel-consonant context were compared with the target General British vowels produced by their pronunciation teachers. We juxtaposed these results with their musical hearing test scores and self-reported musical experience to observe a possible relationship between successful L2 vowel acquisition and musical aptitude. Results Preexisting rhythmic memory was reported as a significant predictor before training, while musical experience was reported as a significant factor in the production of more native-like L2 vowels after training. We also observed that not all vowels were equally acquired or affected by musical hearing or musical experience. The strongest estimate we observed was the closeness to model before training, suggesting that learners who already managed to acquire some features of a native-like accent were also more successful after training. Conclusions Our results are revealing in two aspects. First, the learners' former proficiency in L2 pronunciation is the most robust predictor in acquiring a native-like accent. Second, there is a potential relationship between rhythmic memory and L2 vowel acquisition before training, as well as years of musical experience after training, suggesting that specific musical skills and music practice can be an asset in learning a foreign language accent.
Highlights
Former studies suggested that music perception can help produce certain accentual features in the first and second language (L2), such as intonational contours
While we found no relation between the production of TRAP before and after training, we observed a significant result for rhythmic memory and musical experience, indicating that both musical hearing and musical practice can be strongly associated with the successful acquisition of this particular sound
This study reported an experiment investigating whether preexisting musical hearing skills and musical experience can predict more native-like production of L2 vowels by Polish advanced learners of English before and after formal accent training
Summary
Former studies suggested that music perception can help produce certain accentual features in the first and second language (L2), such as intonational contours. Another large portion of research focused on the similarities of how music and language are processed on the neural level (Brown et al., 2006; Chobert & Besson, 2013; Fadiga et al, 2009; Kunert et al, 2015) Considering these commonalities, language researchers and trainers have looked into the possible effects that music perception and production might have on the acquisition of various language structures (Pastuszek-Lipińska, 2008; Strait et al, 2012), as well as on its role in language teaching (Fonseca-Mora et al, 2011; Franklin et al, 2008; Picavet et al, 2012). Many prior experiments relied on self-reported language proficiency
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