The relationship between speech perception and production in second language learners.

Abstract

This study aims to examine the relationship between perception and production skills in second language learners. Thirty‐nine Chinese college students who have received at least eight years of English‐as‐a‐second‐language (ESL) education in school participated in the study. The data were collected using two programs: HearSay from Communication Disorders Technology Inc., Indiana, and a perceptual test program developed by Yang Zhang at the University of Minnesota. Digital recordings of each participant’s production of the individual words used in the perceptual test program were rated in the scale of 1 to 5 by two native speakers of English. Results demonstrated the existence of complex relationships between perception and production in ESL learners. Overall, the consonants demonstrated a significant positive correlation between perception and production (p<0.01) with voicing showing strongest effect. Vowels, on the other hand, did not show significant correlations in any of the five categories examined: tense/lax, high/low, front/back, diphthong, and vowel insertions. Four patterns were identified for the individual phonemes: (a) good perception and good production, (b) poor perception and poor production, (c) good perception and poor production, and (d) poor perception and good production. The results are discussed with respect to speech learning models and practical instructional approaches.