The perception-production link in two types of cross-language mismatches

Abstract

Previous data on the perception-production link have allowed for a variety of analyses, from the traditional straight-forward correlation between the two competencies (Flege 1995) to more nuanced interpretations of the data (Shultz et al. 2012). Where the traditional approach suggests that better perception is linked to better production, recent work challenges this conclusion and reveals a complex relationship. Here, we compare native French speakers' perception and production of English diphthongs (/a⌢ʊ/, /e⌢ɪ/ and /a⌢ɪ/) and interdental fricatives (/θ/ and /ð/). These specific segments were chosen as they are absent from the French phonological system, they show identifiable realizations, and they behave differently from one another. The competence in perception and production of 21 native hexagonal French speakers were collected through a repetition task and an AXB matching task. Consistent with Flege (1995), we show that for any given segment, greater perception accuracy predicts greater production accuracy. However, at the speaker level, the relationship between the two competences is a complex one, as the link between perception and production is not apparent in our data. These results would confirm the traditional approach at the segment level, but individual variation might prevents us from seeing it at the speaker level.