Production of English stop voicing distinction by Spanish speakers

Abstract

The voicing distinction in English stop consonants involves distinct acoustic correlates depending on the position of the consonant. For Spanish speakers, prevocalic voicing distinction is in a familiar position whereas postvocalic voicing is in an unfamiliar position. In this study we examined whether Spanish speakers could use voice onset time and vowel duration to produce the voicing distinction in these two positions. Acoustic analysis showed Spanish speakers were able to produce the voicing distinction in both positions, although the magnitude of between-category difference is smaller compared to those produced by native English speakers. Production of the VOT distinction for prevocalic stops improved significantly following a brief tutorial on the acoustics of stop consonants, but the vowel duration difference for postvocalic stops did not show comparable change. These results suggest implementation of a phonological contrast in an unfamiliar position is constrained by native language characteristics.