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Age of learning affects rate-dependent processing of stops in a second language
J E Flege1, A M Schmidt, G Wharton
1Department of Biocommunication, University of Alabama at Birmingham 35294, USA.
Phonetica
|January 1, 1996
Summary
Early bilinguals better perceive English stop consonants than late bilinguals, especially when speaking rate changes. This suggests early language acquisition is key for developing new phonetic categories in a second language.
Area of Science:
- Phonetics
- Second Language Acquisition
- Psycholinguistics
Background:
- Understanding how bilinguals perceive speech sounds is crucial for language acquisition research.
- Previous studies suggest language experience influences phonetic perception.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of speaking rate on the perception of English stop consonants (/p/).
- To compare perception abilities across English monolinguals, Spanish monolinguals, early bilinguals, and late bilinguals.
Main Methods:
- Subjects identified and rated voice onset time (VOT) continua for English /p/.
- Speaking rate was manipulated by varying syllable duration.
Main Results:
- English monolinguals identified a specific VOT range for /p/, with perception influenced by speaking rate.
- Spanish monolinguals struggled to identify English /p/, showing different rate effects than monolingual English speakers.
- Early bilinguals' perception patterns more closely resembled English monolinguals than late bilinguals.
Conclusions:
- Early bilinguals may establish new phonetic categories for second language stop consonants more effectively than late bilinguals.
- Phonetic category formation in bilinguals is influenced by the age of acquisition and speaking rate.