Investigation of the effects of formant amplitudes on phonetic category

Discrimination and phonetic identification abilities of 5- to 6-year-old children with language impairments were compared to those of 4-year-olds with normally developing language and to previous findings from 5- to 6-year-olds and adults for synthetic stimuli ranging from [ba] to da]. Results showed similar discrimination sensitivity to the second- and third-formant transition cues of stimuli by all children, with poorest sensitivity by the youngest. Phonetic categorization by children with language impairments was most different from the groups with normal language abilities, evidenced by a difference in the percent of tokens labeled as "BA" and by greater variability in labeling and in placement of phonetic category boundaries. Results support hypotheses by Gathercole and Baddeley (1990) suggesting that the phonological component of working memory may be disordered in children with language impairments. Results are also suggestive of specific difficulties with left-hemisphere processing associated with language learning rather than with problems related to sensitivity to formant transitions of the speech tokens.

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Phonetic Category Formation is Perceptually Driven During the Early Stages of Adult L2 Development

Language and Speech ◽

10.1177/0023830919866225 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 63 (3) ◽

pp. 550-581 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Joseph V. Casillas

Keyword(s):

Language Use ◽

Early Stage ◽

Longitudinal Design ◽

Phonetic Category ◽

Learning Context ◽

Stage Of Development ◽

Additive Mixed Models ◽

Category Formation ◽

Generalized Linear Mixed Effects ◽

L1 Use

Research on the acquisition of L2 phonology in sequential language learners has stressed the importance of language use and input as a means to accurate production and perception; however, the two constructs are difficult to evaluate and control. This study focuses on the role of language use during the initial stages of development of phonetic categories related to stop voicing and analyzes the relationship between production and perception. Native English-speaking late learners of Spanish provided production/perception data on a weekly basis throughout the course of a seven-week immersion program in which L1 use was prohibited. The production/perception data were analyzed using generalized linear mixed effects models. Generalized additive mixed models were used to analyze and compare the learning trajectories of each modality. The analyses revealed phonetic learning in both production and perception over the course of the program. Perception gains paralleled those of native bilinguals by the conclusion of the program and preceded production gains. This study is novel in that it provides production/perception data in a semi-longitudinal design. Moreover, the beginning adult learners are examined in a learning context in which L1 use was minimal and L2 input was maximized. Taken together, the experiments suggest that L2 phonetic category formation can occur abruptly, at an early stage of development, is perceptually driven, and appears to be particularly fragile during the initial stages of learning.

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Understanding individual variation in levels of second language attainment through the lens of critical period mechanisms

Bilingualism Language and Cognition ◽

10.1017/s1366728918000263 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 21 (5) ◽

pp. 930-931 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

REBECCA REH ◽

MARIA ARREDONDO ◽

JANET F. WERKER

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Category Learning ◽

Critical Period ◽

First Language ◽

Visual Language ◽

Phonetic Category ◽

Critical Periods ◽

L2 Acquisition ◽

Language Discrimination ◽

L1 Acquisition

Mayberry and Kluender (2017) present an important and compelling argument that in order to understand critical periods (CPs) in language acquisition, it is essential to disentangle studies of late first language (L1) acquisition from those of second language (L2) acquisition. Their primary thesis is that timely exposure to an L1 is crucial for establishing language circuitry, thus providing a foundation on which an L2 can build. They note that while there is considerable evidence of interference from the L1 on acquisition of the L2 – especially in late L2 learners (as in our work on cascading influences on phonetic category learning and visual language discrimination, e.g., Werker & Hensch, 2015 and Weikum, Vouloumanos, Navarra, Soto-Faraco, Sebastián-Gallés & Werker, 2013, respectively) – there are other examples of ways in which the L1 can scaffold L2 acquisition. Mayberry and Kluender take this evidence of L1 scaffolding L2 as undermining the value of considering CPs as useful in understanding L2 acquisition.

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