IULC Indiana University Linguistics Club

The effect of syllable structure constraints on second language perception and production

Time: 04:00pm - 05:30pm 

Place: Oak Room (Tree Suites, Indiana Memorial Union)

Amanda Huensch (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign)

The acquisition of native-like phonology appears to be one of the most difficult hurdles for late second language (L2) learners to overcome. A central question in the acquisition of L2 phonology relates to the relationship between speech perception and production and the potential benefits of high-variability phonetic training (i.e., training on multiple exemplars of words uttered by multiple speakers) on both. In this talk, I first report on work that explores the acquisition of final palatals (e.g., judge) and onset clusters (e.g., plight) by Korean-speaking L2 learners of English in order to gain a better understanding of the influence of speech perception on production in relation to syllable structure. Second, I discuss preliminary results of a study which uses a pretest/perceptual training/post-test experimental paradigm to investigate training conditions that enable L2 learners to develop sensitivity to sounds and sound structures not in their native language. Ultimately, I aim to show that syllable structure in the native language plays an important role in the perception of the target language and that training provides a promising means of improving sensitivity to sound structures not previously investigated.

In category: Second language acquisition