Do Dutch learners reuse L1 non-final cues in English final voicing? Using Danish learners as controlsa)

This study performs a direct investigation of whether native-language (L1) experience with relevant auditory cues is reused in second language (L2) perception (as claimed by earlier indirect studies) by comparing two L1s, one with and one without the relevant cues. If L1 Dutch word-medial cues are indeed reused in the perception of final obstruent voicing in L2 English, Dutch learners of English should perceive this contrast better than Danish learners of English, who use no such cues in their L1 medial position. We indeed find that Dutch listeners outperform Danish listeners on naturally produced English, and that Dutch listeners use the periodicity cue more than Danish listeners in manipulated English. This provides evidence that L1 experience with relevant auditory cues is indeed reused in L2 perception.