The impact of L2-learning experience and target dialect on predicting English vowel identification using Korean vowel categories

Abstract

Park and de Jong (2008, 2017) reported that their L1-based model predicted the identification of English consonants with Korean analogues quite successfully while error rates for those without Korean analogues were systematically greater than the model predicted, and Lee and Cho (2018) obtained similar results for English vowels. However, Park and de Jong (2008, 2017) and Lee and Cho (2018) examined only L1-Korean inexperienced EFL listeners’ identification of English consonants or vowels. English vowels such as /æ-a/ (bat), /ɝ-ɜ/ (Burt), and /ɑ-ɒ/ (stop) exhibit dialect differences between North American English (NAE) and Standard Southern British English (SSBE), but few researchers have examined Korean second language (L2) listeners’ perceptions of English vowels in regional dialects other than NAE. The current study was an investigation of the degree to which the L1-based model predicts L1-Korean experienced L2 listeners’ identification of NAE and SSBE vowels based on the predictions that experienced L2 listeners are less likely to use L1 (first language) categories in L2 vowel identification than are inexperienced L2 listeners and that even experienced L2 listeners might use L1 categories when identifying L2 vowels in a less familiar English dialect. Korean listeners with different lengths of residence (LOR) in the United States (long: 11.1 years vs. short: 4 years) and with limited experience with British English completed English vowel identification and English-Korean vowel mapping tasks. The results show that the L1-based model predicted only the short-LOR listeners’ identification of NAE and SSBE vowels rather accurately, indicating the effect of L2-learning experience. The model also more accurately predicted the short-LOR listeners’ identification of SSBE vowels relative to NAE vowels, showing that the impact of the amount of L2 learning-experience decreased with a less familiar dialect. When the listeners’ goodness ratings of the category mapping were considered, the predictive power of the model weakened. Further, the new-similar distinction for L2 English vowels vis-à-vis L1-Korean may be gradient, and the new-similar distinction is variable depending on L2-learning experiences.