Second Language Vowel Perception

A research project funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)

Administrative Details

Grant period: January 2005- July 2008

Funding Body: ESRC

Research Fellows: Melanie Preece-Pinet (current), and Bronwen Evans (former)

Summary

This project examines vowel perception and plasticity during second-language (L2) learning by adults. The study evaluates whether individuals learn to 'perceptually switch' between their L1 (first-language) and L2 vowel systems, and assesses the role of fine-grained phonetic detail in the learning process. Study 1 will use a new method to generate phonetically detailed L1 (first-language) and L2 perceptual vowel maps for native speakers of Norwegian, German, Spanish, and French. Study 2 will train matched groups of German and Spanish learners to identify English vowels and examine how their L1 and L2 vowel spaces change over time. Study 3 will train French speakers with varying English-language experience. The research will contribute to our scientific understanding of phonetic perception and plasticity, introduce methodological innovations, and help guide the development of new computer-based phonetic training methods.

Research Outputs

Iverson,P., Evans,B.G. (2007). Auditory training of English vowels for first-language speakers of Spanish and German. 16th International Congress of Phonetic Sciences, SaarbrŸcken, Germany, 1625-1628

Iverson,P., Evans,B.G. (2007). Learning English vowels with different first-language vowel systems: Perception of formant targets, formant movement, and duration. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 122(5), 2842-2854. ISSN: 0001-4966

[DOI link]