Abstract
Second language learners may be particularly challenged when the new language makes distinctions between sounds that are phonetically equivalent in the speaker's first language. If the distinction occurs between vowels, native speakers and learners should occupy the relevant vowel spaces in different ways. Native speakersâ vowel spaces should show denser, more acoustically separate regions for each vowel. Learnersâ spaces should show less consistent, more overlapping spaces. In contrast, when a pair of vowels are phonetically distinct in both languages, there should be little difference between native and learner acoustic spaces. We use a custom formant tracker to quantify the vowel spaces of two native speakers and 6 German language learners.
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