The effect of ‘illusory vowels’ in Spanish-speaking second language learners of English

Abstract

This paper shows that second-language (L2) spoken-word recognition is greatly influenced by differences between the native language (L1) and the second language (L2), possibly attributed to either L1-L2 syllable-structure or phonotactic differences. Spanish-speaking English learners (experimental group) and native English listeners (control group) completed an AXB task and a word-monitoring task in which they monitored /(ǝ)s+Consonant/-initial words in English. The results show a clear effect of L1 phonotactics, as the native speakers of English outperformed the Spanish group. These results indicate that L1-L2 syllable-structure differences or L1 phonotactics have pervasive consequences for spoken-word recognition, and effect that will be further explored in the discussion section of this paper.