An acoustic comparison of English monophthongs and diphthongs produced by Australian and Thai speakers

This study investigated acoustic-phonetic characteristics of English vowels (four monophthongs /I æ ~ %/ and two diphthongs /eI o~/) spoken by native speakers of Australian English (AusE, n = 6) and Thai (T, n = 15). The Thai speakers had lived in Australia for an average of 3.2 years. While the Thai speakers did not differ significantly from the AusE speakers in their vowel quality for monophthongs, they were more dissimilar in their production of diphthongs. Specifically, the Thai speakers produced English diphthongs with less formant movement, a phenomenon widely reported for speakers of various other Southeast Asian languages. Differences between the Thai and AusE groups reached statistical significance for the female speakers. As for temporal characteristics, the Thai speakers produced significantly shorter monophthongs, but not diphthongs, than did AusE speakers. As a result, the ratio of monophthongs to diphthongs was much smaller for the Thai (0.53) than for the AusE group (0.72). It appeared that the Thai speakers equated the English diphthongs /eI/ and /o~/ with the long vowels /e˜/ and /o˜/, respectively, in their first language (L1) Thai. Further, their production of the diphthongs may be related to a large number of diphthongs in the Thai vowel inventory, which may encourage its speakers to substitute existing L1 categories for English diphthongs rather than forming authentic, new phonetic categories.

Download Full-text

ACOUSTIC MEASUREMENT ON VOWEL PRODUCTION OF ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE BY INDONESIAN EFL LEARNERS

English Review Journal of English Education ◽

10.25134/erjee.v6i1.772 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. 71

Author(s):

Rudha Widagsa ◽

Ahmad Agung Yuwono Putro

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

English Language ◽

Acoustic Analysis ◽

Native Speakers ◽

First Language ◽

English Language Teaching ◽

British English ◽

Formant Frequencies ◽

English Vowels ◽

Second Formant

Indonesian is the most widely spoken language in Indonesia. More than 200 million people speak the language as a first language. However, acoustic study on Indonesian learners of English (ILE) production remains untouched. The purpose of this measurement is to examine the influence of first language (L1) on English vowels production as a second language (L2). Based on perceptual magnet hypothesis (PMH), ILE were predicted to produce close sounds to L1 English where the vowels are similar to Indonesian vowels. Acoustic analysis was conducted to measure the formant frequencies. This study involved five males of Indonesian speakers aged between 20-25 years old. The data of British English native speakers were taken from previous study by Hawkins & Midgley (2005). The result illustrates that the first formant frequencies (F1) which correlates to the vowel hight of Indonesian Learners of English were significantly different from the corresponding frequencies of British English vowels. Surprisingly, the significant differences in second formant (F2) of ILE were only in the production of /ɑ, ɒ, ɔ/ in which /ɑ/=p 0.002, /ɒ/ =p 0,001, /ɔ/ =p 0,03. The vowel space area of ILE was slightly less spacious than the native speakers. This study is expected to shed light in English language teaching particularly as a foreign language.Keywords: VSA, EFL, Indonesian learners, formant frequencies, acoustic

Download Full-text

The acoustic characteristics of non-native American English vowels

Linguistica ◽

10.4312/linguistica.57.1.59-72 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 57 (1) ◽

pp. 59-72

Author(s):

Biljana Čubrović

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Native American ◽

Native Speakers ◽

American English ◽

The United States ◽

Vowel Quality ◽

Acoustic Characteristics ◽

Language Background ◽

English Vowels ◽

Native Speech

This study aims at discussing the phonetic property of vowel quality in English, as exercised by both native speakers of General American English (AE) and non-native speakers of General American English of Serbian language background, all residents of the United States. Ten Serbian male speakers and four native male speakers of AE are recorded in separate experiments and their speech analyzed acoustically for any significant phonetic differences, looking into a set of monosyllabic English words representing nine vowels of AE. The general aim of the experiments is to evaluate the phonetic characteristics of AE vowels, with particular attention to F1 and F2 values, investigate which vowels differ most in the two groups of participants, and provide some explanations for these variations. A single most important observation that is the result of this vowel study is an evident merger of three pairs of vowels in the non-native speech: /i ɪ/, /u ʊ/, and /ɛ æ/.

Download Full-text

Non-native Japanese learners’ perception of consonant length in Japanese and Italian

Second language Research ◽

10.1177/0267658317719494 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 34 (2) ◽

pp. 179-200 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Kimiko Tsukada ◽

Felicity Cox ◽

John Hajek ◽

Yukari Hirata

Keyword(s):

Foreign Language ◽

Native Speakers ◽

First Language ◽

The Other ◽

Identification Task ◽

Two Stage ◽

Linguistic Experience ◽

Australian English ◽

Japanese Learners

Learners of a foreign language (FL) typically have to learn to process sounds that do not exist in their first language (L1). As this is known to be difficult for adults, in particular, it is important for FL pedagogy to be informed by phonetic research. This study examined the role of FL learners’ previous linguistic experience in the processing of a contrast absent in the L1. The FLs under investigation are Japanese and Italian, which both use contrastive consonant length. Two groups of non-native Japanese (NNJ) learners – L1 Australian English (OZ) and L1 Korean – participated in the consonant length identification task. Neither OZ nor Korean has an underlying consonant length contrast, but Korean has non-contrastive lengthening of tense obstruents with corresponding shorter preceding vowels, which may be beneficial in perceiving consonant length in an FL. We have taken a novel, two-stage approach. First, we compared the perception of Japanese long/geminate and short/singleton consonants by the two groups of NNJ learners. Second, we investigated whether FL Japanese learning by the two groups transfers to the processing of consonant length in an unknown language, Italian. Native speakers of Japanese (NJ) and Italian (NI) were included as controls. They were familiar with contrastive consonant length in their L1, but were naïve to the other language. The NJ and NI groups accurately identified the consonant length category in their L1 but were slightly less accurate in the unknown language. The two NNJ groups were generally accurate (> 80%) in perceiving consonant length not only in Japanese, but also in Italian. However, the direction of NNJ learners’ misperception (i.e. singleton as geminate or geminate as singleton) varied, suggesting that some learners, according to their L1, may categorize length in Japanese and Italian differently rather than uniformly applying the concept of [±long].

Download Full-text

Vocabulary size matters: The assimilation of second-language Australian English vowels to first-language Japanese vowel categories

Applied Psycholinguistics ◽

10.1017/s0142716410000287 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 32 (1) ◽

pp. 51-67 ◽

Cited By ~ 40

Author(s):

RIKKE L. BUNDGAARD-NIELSEN ◽

CATHERINE T. BEST ◽

MICHAEL D. TYLER

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Goodness Of Fit ◽

First Language ◽

Preliminary Investigation ◽

Vocabulary Size ◽

English Vowels ◽

Australian English ◽

L2 Perception ◽

L2 Vocabulary ◽

Assimilation Model

ABSTRACTAdult second-language (L2) learners’ perception of L2 phonetic segments is influenced by first-language phonological and phonetic properties. It was recently proposed that L2 vocabulary size in adult learners is related to changes in L2 perception (perceptual assimilation model), analogous to the emergence of first-language phonological function (i.e., attunement to the phonological identity of words) associated with the “vocabulary explosion” at 18 months. In a preliminary investigation of the relationship between L2 perception and vocabulary size, Japanese learners of Australian English identified Australian English vowels, provided goodness of fit ratings, and completed a vocabulary size questionnaire. We adopted a “whole-system” approach, allowing learners to apply all native vowel system possibilities to the full L2 vowel system. Learners with a larger L2 vocabulary were more consistent in their vowel assimilation patterns, compatible with the L2 perceptual assimilation model.

Download Full-text

The Perception of Mandarin Lexical Tones by Native Speakers of Burmese

Language and Speech ◽

10.1177/0023830918806550 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 62 (4) ◽

pp. 625-640 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Kimiko Tsukada ◽

Mariko Kondo

Keyword(s):

Native Speakers ◽

First Language ◽

Control Group ◽

Discrimination Test ◽

Discrimination Accuracy ◽

Lexical Tones ◽

Australian English ◽

Mandarin Tones ◽

English Group

This study examines the perception of Mandarin lexical tones by native speakers of Burmese who use lexical tones in their first language (L1) but are naïve to Mandarin. Unlike Mandarin tones, which are primarily cued by pitch, Burmese tones are cued by phonation type as well as pitch. The question of interest is whether Burmese listeners can utilize their L1 experience in processing unfamiliar Mandarin tones. Burmese listeners’ discrimination accuracy was compared with that of Mandarin listeners and Australian English listeners. The Australian English group was included as a control group with a non-tonal background. Accuracy of perception of six tone pairs (T1-T2, T1-T3, T1-T4, T2-T3, T2-T4, T3-T4) was assessed in a discrimination test. Our main findings are 1) Mandarin listeners were more accurate than non-native listeners in discriminating all tone pairs, 2) Australian English listeners naïve to Mandarin were more accurate than similarly naïve Burmese listeners in discriminating all tone pairs except for T2-T4, and 3) Burmese listeners had the greatest trouble discriminating T2-T3 and T1-T2. Taken together, the results suggest that merely possessing lexical tones in L1 may not necessarily facilitate the perception of non-native tones, and that the active use of phonation type in encoding L1 tones may have played a role in Burmese listeners’ less than optimal perception of Mandarin tones.

Download Full-text

The relationship between vowel production and perception: native speakers' perception of nativeness in LOT and THOUGHT vowels in Received Pronunciation

English Today ◽

10.1017/s0266078413000552 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 30 (1) ◽

pp. 37-47

Author(s):

Jussi Wikstrom

Keyword(s):

Native Speakers ◽

First Language ◽

Vowel Quality ◽

Vowel Production ◽

Generational Changes ◽

First Languages ◽

The Difference ◽

Received Pronunciation ◽

The Relationship ◽

Individual Speaker

The fact that differences in vowel articulation are important in distinguishing accents of English is well established (Wells, 1982; Cruttenden, 2008; Ng, Chen & Sadaka, 2008; Park, 2009a, 2009b). It is also the case that speakers' production of a particular vowel varies for an individual speaker and between speakers of the ‘same’ accent (Rose, 2002; Cruttenden, 2008). In terms of perception, it is evident that L1 speakers, i.e. speakers for whom the language is the first language or one of the first languages acquired, are often able to recognise vowel articulations which deviate from the norm in their accent, even when the difference in vowel production is not significant enough to be mapped onto another L1 phoneme category, i.e. where the use of the alternative vowel quality could potentially change the meaning of the word (Park, 2009a). It should be acknowledged that any such norms are likely to vary in accordance with generational changes to a particular variety. But studies seeking to establish the degree of interrelatedness of vowel production and speakers' perceived ideal realisation have had mixed results. For example, Hoopingarner (2004) found that L1 speakers' production and preferred realisation were relatively similar, while Ainsworth & Paliwal (1984) and Frieda, Walley, Flege & Sloane (2000) failed to demonstrate such a correlation.

Download Full-text

Tonogénèse, registrogénèse et traits laryngals binaires

Cahiers de linguistique - Asie orientale ◽

10.1163/19606028-90000065 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 28 (1) ◽

pp. 23-52

Author(s):

Mare Brunelle

Keyword(s):

Simple Model ◽

Southeast Asian ◽

Phonological Representation ◽

Vowel Quality ◽

Distinctive Features ◽

Feature Geometry ◽

Asian Languages

Tonogenesis as described by André G. Haudricourt can be represented by using a limited set of distinctive laryngeal features. These binary and articulatory distinctive features, combined with a phonological representation inspired by feature geometry, allow us to propose a simple model for tonogenesis and registrogenesis. Phenomena cIosely related to register, like phonation type and vowel quality, mayaiso be accounted for by this model. We conclude with an attempt at using the proposed laryngeal features in a synchronie analysis of the tone systems of a few modem Southeast Asian languages.

Download Full-text

Salvaging the Mother Tongue in Exile

Comparative Critical Studies ◽

10.3366/ccs.2017.0235 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 14 (2-3) ◽

pp. 187-204

Author(s):

Tomás Espino Barrera

Keyword(s):

Native Speakers ◽

Mother Tongue ◽

First Language ◽

Language Attrition ◽

The Past ◽

Progressive Loss ◽

First Language Attrition ◽

Lost In Translation ◽

Deliberate Effort ◽

Deep Sense

The dramatic increase in the number of exiles and refugees in the past 100 years has generated a substantial amount of literature written in a second language as well as a heightened sensibility towards the progressive loss of fluency in the mother tongue. Confronted by what modern linguistics has termed ‘first-language attrition’, the writings of numerous exilic translingual authors exhibit a deep sense of trauma which is often expressed through metaphors of illness and death. At the same time, most of these writers make a deliberate effort to preserve what is left from the mother tongue by attempting to increase their exposure to poems, dictionaries or native speakers of the ‘dying’ language. The present paper examines a range of attitudes towards translingualism and first language attrition through the testimonies of several exilic authors and thinkers from different countries (Vladimir Nabokov's Speak, Memory, Hannah Arendt's interviews, Jorge Semprún's Quel beau dimanche! and Autobiografía de Federico Sánchez, and Eva Hoffman's Lost in Translation, among others). Special attention will be paid to the historical frameworks that encourage most of their salvaging operations by infusing the mother tongue with categories of affect and kinship.

Download Full-text