Decrease of L1-L2 assimilation and its prediction on L2 discrimination: perception of English coronal fricatives by...

Area of Science:

• Second language acquisition
• Phonetics and phonology
• Cross-linguistic influence

Background:

• Understanding how non-native speakers perceive and produce L2 sounds is crucial for language learning.
• Mandarin speakers learning English face challenges with English coronal fricatives (/s, z, θ, ð/).
• Previous models offer insights but require further empirical validation regarding L2 experience effects.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the perceptual assimilation and discrimination of English coronal fricatives by Mandarin speakers.
• To examine the impact of second language (L2) experience on first language (L1)-L2 sound assimilation.
• To assess the predictive validity of assimilation patterns versus assimilation overlaps for L2 discrimination.

Main Methods:

• Perceptual assimilation task to gauge how Mandarin speakers categorize English fricatives.
• Discrimination task to evaluate the ability to distinguish between English fricative pairs.
• Comparison of results between Mandarin speakers with varying levels of English L2 experience.

Main Results:

• More experienced Mandarin speakers showed weaker L1-L2 assimilation, supporting the Revised Speech Learning Model.
• Both groups performed similarly in discriminating place contrasts (/s-θ/, /z-ð/) and voice contrasts (/s-z/, /θ-ð/).
• Assimilation patterns, not overlaps, accurately predicted discrimination performance, aligning with the Perceptual Assimilation Model-L2.

Conclusions:

• L2 experience may reduce perceived L1-L2 similarities.
• Place contrasts (/s-θ/, /z-ð/) pose greater challenges than voice contrasts (/s-z/, /θ-ð/) for Mandarin speakers learning English.
• Assimilation measurements and L2 experience effects on cross-language perception warrant further theoretical exploration.