Talker variability versus variability of vowel context in training naïve learners on an unfamiliar class of foreign language contrasts

IF 1.9 1区 文学 0 LANGUAGE & LINGUISTICS
Ghada A. Shejaeya , Kevin D. Roon , D.H. Whalen
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Numerous studies showed that learners can improve their ability to discriminate and/or identify non-native L2 contrasts through phonetic training, and that encountering sufficiently varied stimuli during training leads to effective generalization of the learning gains. However, previous studies often conflate talker and phonetic-context variability, and tend to prioritize talker variability. The current study investigated the relative importance of each source of variability in training naïve learners on a contrasting class of L2 sounds, plain vs. emphatic Arabic coronals, which enabled us to test generalization more rigorously than is possible with a single L2 contrasting pair (e.g., English /l/-/ɹ/). All trained participants showed significantly better identification of the contrast after training. For trained items, variability in the training materials did not matter. However, when participants had to generalize to unfamiliar contexts, variability of training materials did matter, but there was no benefit of one type of variability over the other. These findings highlight the importance of both talker and vowel context variability to effectively generalize learning of non-native sound contrasts.
在训练天真学习者学习陌生类别的外语对比时,说话者的可变性与元音语境的可变性对比
大量研究表明,学习者可以通过语音训练提高辨别和/或识别非母语 L2 对比的能力,而且在训练过程中遇到足够多的不同刺激可以有效地推广学习成果。然而,以往的研究往往将说话者和语音语境的变化混为一谈,并倾向于将说话者的变化放在首位。本研究调查了在训练初学者学习阿拉伯语冠音(平舌音与强调音)时,两种变异性的相对重要性,这使我们能够比单一的 L2 对比对(如英语 /l/-/ɹ/)更严格地测试泛化效果。所有接受过训练的学员在训练后对对比的识别能力都有明显提高。对于训练过的项目,训练材料的差异并不重要。然而,当被试者需要将其归纳到陌生的语境中时,训练材料的可变性确实很重要,但一种类型的可变性与另一种类型的可变性相比并没有好处。这些发现凸显了谈话者和元音语境的可变性对于有效推广非母语声音对比学习的重要性。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
CiteScore
3.50
自引率
26.30%
发文量
49
期刊介绍: The Journal of Phonetics publishes papers of an experimental or theoretical nature that deal with phonetic aspects of language and linguistic communication processes. Papers dealing with technological and/or pathological topics, or papers of an interdisciplinary nature are also suitable, provided that linguistic-phonetic principles underlie the work reported. Regular articles, review articles, and letters to the editor are published. Themed issues are also published, devoted entirely to a specific subject of interest within the field of phonetics.
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