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Age and native language influence on the perception of English vowels

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Abstract

This paper examines, within the framework of Flege’s speech learning model (SLM), the relevance of two factors – age and native language – for the acquisition align of vowel perception abilities by young Spanish learners of English in a formal instructional environment. Findings indicate that age did influence the participants’ ability to identify English vowels, but not in the expected direction and only for those vowels considered to be identical. Thus, the results do not provide evidence of the influence of the critical period for classroom learning, but they do support the SLM’s proposal concerning the influence of type of interlingual identification: that new and identical vowels will be easier than similar vowels.

Abstract

This paper examines, within the framework of Flege’s speech learning model (SLM), the relevance of two factors – age and native language – for the acquisition align of vowel perception abilities by young Spanish learners of English in a formal instructional environment. Findings indicate that age did influence the participants’ ability to identify English vowels, but not in the expected direction and only for those vowels considered to be identical. Thus, the results do not provide evidence of the influence of the critical period for classroom learning, but they do support the SLM’s proposal concerning the influence of type of interlingual identification: that new and identical vowels will be easier than similar vowels.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Introduction 1
  4. Part I. Segmental-level studies: Vowels
  5. Adult phonetic learning of a second language vowel system 19
  6. The phonological and phonetic development of new vowel contrasts in Spanish learners of English 41
  7. Age and native language influence on the perception of English vowels 57
  8. Part II. Syllable-level studies: Codas and onset clusters
  9. The influence of voicing and sonority relationships on the production of English final consonants 73
  10. Perception and production of vowel paragoge by Brazilian EFL students 91
  11. The sonority cycle and the acquisition of complex onsets 105
  12. The influence of voicing on the production of initial /s/-clusters by Brazilian learners 139
  13. Production of English initial /s/-clusters by speakers of Brazilian Portuguese and Argentine Spanish 155
  14. Part III. Prosodic-level studies: Stress and rhythm
  15. Variability in the use of weak forms of prepositions 171
  16. Perception of double stress by Spanish learners of English 185
  17. The production of compound stress by Brazilian learners of English 199
  18. Author index 211
  19. Subject Index 213
English with a Latin Beat
This chapter is in the book English with a Latin Beat
https://doi.org/10.1075/sibil.31.05gal

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Introduction 1
  4. Part I. Segmental-level studies: Vowels
  5. Adult phonetic learning of a second language vowel system 19
  6. The phonological and phonetic development of new vowel contrasts in Spanish learners of English 41
  7. Age and native language influence on the perception of English vowels 57
  8. Part II. Syllable-level studies: Codas and onset clusters
  9. The influence of voicing and sonority relationships on the production of English final consonants 73
  10. Perception and production of vowel paragoge by Brazilian EFL students 91
  11. The sonority cycle and the acquisition of complex onsets 105
  12. The influence of voicing on the production of initial /s/-clusters by Brazilian learners 139
  13. Production of English initial /s/-clusters by speakers of Brazilian Portuguese and Argentine Spanish 155
  14. Part III. Prosodic-level studies: Stress and rhythm
  15. Variability in the use of weak forms of prepositions 171
  16. Perception of double stress by Spanish learners of English 185
  17. The production of compound stress by Brazilian learners of English 199
  18. Author index 211
  19. Subject Index 213
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