The role of L2 experience in L1 and L2 perception and production of voiceless stops by English learners of Spanish

Abstract

Some previous studies report that increased experience with a second language (L2) may result in a more target-like perception and production in the L2, as well as in a less native-like performance in the L1. The present paper aimed to (1) assess the role of L2 experience on L2 and L1 production of voiceless stops; (2) investigate the effect of L2 experience on L2 and L1 perception of voiceless stops; and (3) examine the relationship between perception and production. Three groups of English learners of Spanish differing in amount and type of L2 experience, as well as two groups of functional monolinguals, completed a production task and an identification task involving English and Spanish voiceless stops. The results revealed that the L2 speakers were more successful at producing than at perceiving Spanish stops accurately, with L2 experience having a positive effect on production. L2 experience was not found to affect performance in the L1, which could be related to an overall limited amount of L2 use even in an immersion setting. The results also showed a weak relationship between perception and production, which may partly be due to the different nature of perceptual and production measures.