Phonetic learning and vocabulary knowledge in adolescents

Abstract

Individuals who perform well on tasks that measure their abilities to learn non-native speech sounds tend to also perform well on language measures such as vocabulary tests. This relationship is not well understood but may be driven by increased literacy skills among individuals with stronger phonetic learning skills. However, relatively few studies have examined the changes in performance that occur during adolescence, a time in which critical vocabulary knowledge is amassed. This is an especially interesting developmental period because studies comparing adults and children show that adults often outperform children on measures of non-native speech sound learning. In the present study, we examine the changes in non-native speech sound learning abilities that occur during adolescence. Our preliminary data confirm previous findings which show that non-native learning performance tends to increase with age. We also explore vocabulary development as a correlate of this effect. Our preliminary data suggest that the correlation between non-native phonetic learning and vocabulary grows stronger with age during adolescence. These findings support the hypothesis that phonetic learning abilities continue to develop during adolescence and that this development is relevant to language outcomes in the adolescent population.