Perceived cross-linguistic similarity of retroflexes in trilingual, bilingual and native listener groups

Abstract

This paper investigates the perceived cross-linguistic similarity of retroflexes from a broad multilingual perspective by employing trilingual and bilingual learners and native users as three distinct listener groups. Previous research has demonstrated that L2 learners rely on their L1 in non-native speech perception. However, no study has examined how L3 learners perceive differences between retroflex sounds in their L1, L2, and L3. In a series of three parallel studies, we examined cross-linguistic similarity of Norwegian retroflexes and similar retroflex and non-retroflex sounds by trilingual (L1 Polish, L2 English and L3 Norwegian), bilingual (L1 Polish, L2 English) and Norwegian control (L1 Norwegian, L2 English) listeners. The listeners assessed similarity between the Norwegian and Polish or English sounds primarily based on the place and manner of articulation rather than retroflexion. The results, where condition specifies the presence or absence of agreement in terms of retroflexion and place/manner of articulation, demonstrated that all the two-way interactions: condition:language, condition:group, language:group and the three-way interaction were significant. The study revealed that experience with a given language did not influence similarity ratings in a wholesale manner but rather in a precise manner related to the presence or absence of retroflexion. The results also showed that the perceived cross-linguistic similarity by multilinguals was gradient in nature. The study provides new insights into research on the perception of retroflexes and multilingual perception by participants differing in the amount of experience with the languages of the stimuli: from L1 controls through L2 and L3 learners to naïve listeners.