Vowel length and perception of English as a Lingua Franca

Abstract

English is one of the most widely used languages in the world but, in contrast to many other languages, a majority of users of English are non-native speakers, meaning that many interactions in English fall under the category of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF). Understanding of how non-native speakers’ perception works in English is important for both researchers and English teachers. Jenkins’ (2000) Lingua Franca Core (LFC), a list of pronunciation characteristics which are claimed necessary for accurate ELF perception, has already been adopted as a standard for training English teachers and for students of English. However, the research on which the LFC is based is rather limited. An earlier study by the presenters about the importance of the fortis-lenis distinction on stop consonants for ELF perception indicates that participants’ perception of word-initial stops cannot be explained easily in relation to voice onset time. This study represents a further attempt to investigate the claims of the LFC using more controlled methods, focusing on the claim that length is important for accurate vowel perception. Word tokens from conversations in English between speakers with different L1s are used. Results of vowel-length measurements and their relationship to perceptual results will be presented.