A role for features in speech perception.

Area of Science:

• Phonology
• Second Language Acquisition
• Speech Perception

Background:

• Abstract symbolic representations are crucial in second language phonological grammars.
• Evidence for abstractness is challenging in the segmental domain, particularly concerning phonological features.
• This commentary investigates the role of features in second language speech perception to support abstract representations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate that features mediate second language speech perception.
• To provide evidence for abstract phonological representations in second language learners/users (L2ers).
• To analyze how first language (L1) phonological feature status influences L2 perception.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of two speech perception studies involving L2 learners.
• Examining the impact of the feature [nasal] in vowels on French and English listeners' perception of novel nasal vowels.
• Investigating the effect of the absence of the feature [SG] in French L1 on the perception of English /h/.

Main Results:

• French listeners, for whom [nasal] is contrastive, successfully perceived novel nasal vowels, while English listeners, for whom it is allophonic, experienced hindered perception.
• The absence of [SG] in French L1 negatively affects L2 learners' perception of English /h/, leading to difficulties distinguishing it from zero, intermediate VOT values for stops, and over-application of aspiration.
• Phonological features play a classificatory role, shaping phonological behavior across multiple segment groups in L2 acquisition.

Conclusions:

• Phonological features are integral to abstract representations in L2 phonology.
• The phonological status of features in L1 grammar directly impacts L2 speech perception.
• Features have a classificatory function that influences phonological behavior in L2 learners.