Testing the Influence of Different Use of L1 Acoustic Cues between Two Age Group Speakers on the Acquisition of L2 Stops

Abstract

The present study investigated the production and perception of voiced vs. voiceless contrast of English stops by two age groups of Korean learners. The issue addressed in this study was whether young and older Korean speakers differ in the way they produce and perceive the English stops. Given recent diachronic change from VOT to onset F0 as a primary cue to the Korean initial stops, though VOT is employed primarily to distinguish the English stops, it was explored whether young speakers make greater use of the onset F0 than old speakers to signal the English stops in word-initial position. This was to test whether relative importance of specific acoustic properties in the native language affects the extent to which those acoustic properties are used in the production and perception of a target language contrast. The results showed that in both production and perception, both young and older speakers depended primarily on VOT to distinguish the English stops, and onset F0 was employed redundantly. Two possible explanations for this result were put forth based on the characteristics of the speakers and listeners: both age group speakers might acquire already how to use acoustic cues to the English laryngeal contrast; or the ongoing change in the use of acoustic cues for Korean laryngeal contrast might not be clearly shown in the two age group speakers in the present study.