Categorical phonotactic knowledge filters second language input, but probabilistic phonotactic knowledge can still be...

Area of Science:

• Psycholinguistics
• Second Language Acquisition
• Phonology

Background:

• Phonotactic knowledge, both probabilistic and categorical, influences speech perception and can impede second language (L2) learning.
• First language (L1) phonotactic constraints may act as a filter, blocking access to L2 probabilistic patterns and hindering acquisition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the influence of L2 probabilistic phonotactics versus L1 categorical phonotactic filtering on L2 perception.
• To investigate how L1 phonotactic knowledge interacts with the acquisition of L2 probabilistic phonotactics.

Main Methods:

• Cross-modal priming experiments were conducted with Dutch native speakers and L1 Spanish and Japanese learners of Dutch.
• Participants performed a lexical decision task on Dutch words with initial /sC/ clusters, varying in Dutch probabilistic well-formedness and Spanish/Japanese categorical illegality.

Main Results:

• Spanish learners showed evidence of an L1 filter, being primed by Spanish-illegal epenthetic versions of Dutch clusters.
• Both groups recognized words with probabilistically well-formed Dutch /sC/ clusters faster, indicating a facilitatory effect of probabilistic knowledge.
• Higher proficiency Spanish learners showed greater facilitation from well-formed but epenthesized clusters, suggesting L1 influence persists despite probabilistic learning.

Conclusions:

• L1 categorical phonotactic knowledge can filter L2 input, but probabilistic L2 learning still occurs.
• Acquired L2 probabilistic knowledge is modulated by L1 categorical constraints, indicating an interaction between different types of phonotactic knowledge.
• Categorical and probabilistic phonotactic knowledge are distinct but interact during L2 acquisition.