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The effect of multilingualism on phonetic perceptual flexibility

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 November 2008

Janet F. Werker
Janet F. Werker*
Affiliation:
Dalhousie University and The University of British Columbia
*
Janet F. Werker, Department of Psychology, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., CanadaV6T 1Y7
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Abstract

This research was designed to explore whether maintenance of the ability to discriminate phonetic distinctions requires specific linguistic/perceptual experience, or whether broadened but nonrelevant linguistic experience can result in generalized perceptual flexibility. To explore this question, bilingual and trilingual adult subjects were compared to monolingual English adults on their ability to discriminate phonetic distinctions that are not used in (any of) their native language(s). Results suggest that broadened, nonspecific linguistic experience does not contribute to increased perceptual flexibility.

Type
Articles
Information
Applied Psycholinguistics , Volume 7 , Issue 2 , June 1986 , pp. 141 - 155
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1986

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