Non-native speech rhythm: A large-scale study of English pronunciation by Korean learners

Abstract

Kim, Jong-mi, Suzanne Flynn, and Mira Oh. 2007. Non-native speech rhythm: A large-scale study of English pronunciation by Korean learners. Studies in Phonetics, Phonology and Morphology 13.2. 219-250. To what degree do the rhythmical properties of the native language emerge in the acquisition of a second language? Specifically, would non-native English—a stress-timed language— evidence effects of Korean—a so-called syllable-timed language? In this study, we analyze the speech data from 111 adult native speakers of Korean at an intermediate level learning English as a second language, in comparison with those from 29 adult native speakers of English. The study involves a preand posttest analysis of speech elicited in a reading task. We focus on the acoustic quantification of the vowel duration in relation to F0 trace and formant location in all elicited speech that involve 1) stress alternation (‘John was ‘sick of ‘Fred and ‘Sandy), 2) stress assignment (a ‘blackboard vs. a black ‘board), and 3) stress reduction (add vs. addition). The results indicate that the speech rhythm contrast is manifested in both stress alternation and stress reduction in terms of the pair-wise variability of the vowel duration between the two groups of native and learner speech of English. These results are further supported by independent evidence from the developmental aspect in English pronunciation and perception. (Kangwon National University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Chonnam National University)