Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-7cvxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T14:39:56.550Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Second language learners' vocabulary expansion is associated with improved second language vowel intelligibility

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 August 2011

RIKKE L. BUNDGAARD-NIELSEN ,
CATHERINE T. BEST ,
CHRISTIAN KROOS  and
MICHAEL D. TYLER
RIKKE L. BUNDGAARD-NIELSEN*
Affiliation:
University of Western Sydney
CATHERINE T. BEST
Affiliation:
University of Western Sydney
CHRISTIAN KROOS
Affiliation:
University of Western Sydney
MICHAEL D. TYLER
Affiliation:
University of Western Sydney
*
ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDENCE Rikke L. Bundgaard-Nielsen, MARCS Auditory Laboratories, University of Western Sydney, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith South DC, NSW 1797, Australia. E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This paper tests the predictions of the vocabulary-tuning model of second language (L2) rephonologization in the domain of L2 segmental production. This model proposes a facilitating effect of adults’ L2 vocabulary expansion on L2 perception and production and suggests that early improvements in L2 segmental production may be positively associated with an expanding L2 vocabulary. The model was tested in a study of the L2 vowel intelligibility of adult Japanese learners of Australian English, who differed only in the size of their L2 vocabularies. The results support the predicted association between L2 vocabulary size and L2 vowel intelligibility and the prediction that early-phase L2 vocabulary expansion leads to improved L2 production.

Type
Articles
Information
Applied Psycholinguistics , Volume 33 , Issue 3 , July 2012 , pp. 643 - 664
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Akahane-Yamada, R., Tohkura, Y., Bradlow, A. R., & Pisoni, D. B. (1996). Does training in speech perception modify speech production? In Bunnell, H. T. & Idsardi, W. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Spoken Language Processing (pp. 606–609). Philadelphia, PA: Alfred. I. DuPont Institute.Google Scholar
Aoyama, K., Flege, J. E., Guion, S. G., Akahane-Yamada, R., & Yamada, T. (2004). Perceived phonetic dissimilarity and L2 speech learning: The case of Japanese /r/ and English /l/ and /r/. Journal of Phonetics, 32, 233–250.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Benedict, H. (1979). Early lexical development: Comprehension and production. Journal of Child Language, 6, 183–200.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Best, C. T. (1994). The emergence of native-language phonological influences in infants: A perceptual assimilation model. In Goodman, J. C. & Nusbaum, H. (Eds.), The development of speech perception: The transition from speech sounds to spoken words (pp. 167–224). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.Google Scholar
Best, C. T. (1995). A direct-realist view of cross-language speech perception. In Strange, W. (Ed.), Speech perception and linguistic experience: Issues in cross-language research (pp. 171–204). Timonium, MD: York Press.Google Scholar
Best, C. T., Faber, A., & Levitt, A. G. (1996). Perceptual assimilation of non-native vowel contrasts to the American English vowel system. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 99, 2602.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Best, C. T., & Strange, W. (1992). Effects of language-specific phonological and phonetic factors on cross-language perception of approximants. Journal of Phonetics, 20, 305–330.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Best, C. T., & Tyler, M. D. (2007). Nonnative and second-language speech perception: Commonalities and complementarities. In Munro, J. & Bohn, O.-S. (Eds.), Second language speech learning: The role of language experience in speech perception and production (pp. 13–34). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boersma, P., & Weenink, D. (2008). Praat: Doing phonetics by computer (Version 5.0.27) [Computer program]. Retrieved June 28, 2008, from http://www.praat.org/.Google Scholar
Bohn, O.-S., & Flege, J. E. (1992). The production of new and similar vowels by adult German learners of English. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 14, 131–158.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bowey, J. A. (2001). Nonword repetition and young children's receptive vocabulary: A longitudinal study. Applied Psycholinguistics, 22, 441–469.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bradlow, A. R., Pisoni, D. B., Akahane-Yamada, R., & Tohkura, Y. (1997). Training Japanese listeners to identify English /r/ and /l/: IV. Some effects of perceptual learning on speech production. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 101, 2299–2310.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Browman, C. P., & Goldstein, L. (1989). Articulatory gestures as phonological units. Phonology, 6, 201–251.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Browman, C. P., & Goldstein, L. (1990). Representation and reality: Physical systems and phonological structure. Journal of Phonetics, 18, 411–424.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Browman, C. P., & Goldstein, L. (1992). Articulatory phonology: An overview. Phonetica, 49, 155–180.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bundgaard-Nielsen, R. L., Best, C. T., & Tyler, M D. (2008). The assimilation of L2 Australian English vowels to L1 Japanese vowel categories: Vocabulary size matters. In Fletcher, J., Loakes, D., Göcke, R., Burnham, D., & Wagner, M. (Eds.), Proceedings of INTERSPEECH 2008 (p. 1177). Brisbane, Australia: International Speech Communication Association.Google Scholar
Bundgaard-Nielsen, R. L., Best, C. T., & Tyler, M. D. (2011). Vocabulary size matters: The asimilation of second-language Australian English vowels to first-language Japanese categories. Applied Psycholinguistics, 32, 51–67.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bundgaard-Nielsen, R. L., Best, C. T., & Tyler, M. D. (in press). Vocabulary size is associated with L2 vowel perception performance in adult L2 learners. Studies in Second Language Acquisition.Google Scholar
Bundgaard-Nielsen, R. L., Best, C. T., Tyler, M D., & Kroos, C. (2008). Evidence of a near-merger in Western Sydney Australian English vowels. In Fletcher, J., Loakes, D., Göcke, R., Burnham, D., & Wagner, M. (Eds.), Proceedings of INTERSPEECH 2008 (p. 1121). Brisbane, Australia: International Speech Communication Association.Google Scholar
Cerviño, E., & Mora, J. C. (2009). Duration as a phonetic cue in the categorization of /iː, ɪ/ and /s, z/ by Spanish/Catalan learners of English. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 125, 2764.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cox, F. (1999). Vowel change in Australian English. Phonetica, 56, 1–27.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cox, F. (2006). The acoustic characteristics of /hVd/ vowels in the speech of some Australian teenagers. Australian Journal of Linguistics, 26, 147–179.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cutler, A., & Otake, T. (2004). Pseudo-homophony in non-native listening. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 115, 2392.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cutler, A., Weber, A., & Otake, T. (2006). Asymmetric mapping from phonetic to lexical representations in second-language listening. Journal of Phonetics, 34, 269–284.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Doty, A. Z., Rogers, C. L., & Bryant, J. B. (2009). Spoken word recognition in quiet and noise by native and non-native listeners: Effects of age of immersion and vocabulary size. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 125, 2765.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Edwards, J., Beckman, M. E., & Munson, B. (2004). The interaction between vocabulary size and phonotactic probability effects on children's production accuracy and fluency in nonword repetition. Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, 47, 421–436.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fan, M. (2000). How big is the gap and how to narrow it? An investigation into the active and passive vocabulary knowledge of L2 learners. RELC Journal, 31, 105–119.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fernald, A., Pinto, J. P., Swingley, D., Weinberg, A., & McRoberts, G. W. (1998). Rapid gains in speed of verbal processing by infants in the 2nd year. Psychological Science, 9, 228–231.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Flege, J. E. (1987). The production of “new” and “similar” phones in a foreign language: Evidence for the effect of equivalence classification. Journal of Phonetics, 15, 47–65.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Flege, J. E. (1995). Second language speech learning—Theory, findings, and problems. In Strange, W. (Ed.), Speech perception and linguistic experience: Issues in cross-language research (pp. 233–277). Baltimore, MD: York Press.Google Scholar
Flege, J. E. (2002). Interactions between the native and second-language phonetic systems. In Burmeister, P., Piske, T., & Rohde, A. (Eds.), An Integrated view of language development—Papers in honor of Henning Wode (pp. 217–244). Trier: Wissenschaftlicher Verlag Trier.Google Scholar
Flege, J. E., Bohn, O.-S., & Jang, S. (1997). Effects of experience on non-native speakers' production and perception of English vowels. Journal of Phonetics, 25, 437–470.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Flege, J., Frieda, A., & Nozawa, T. (1997). Amount of native-language (L1) use affects the pronunciation of an L2. Journal of Phonetics, 25, 169–186.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Flege, J. E., Munro, M., & MacKay, I. R. A. (1995). Effects of age of second language learning on the production of English consonants. Speech Communication, 16, 1–26.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Flege, J. E., Schirru, C., & MacKay, I. (2003). Interaction between the native and second language phonetic subsystems. Speech Communication, 40, 467–491.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Flege, J. E., Takagi, N., & Mann, V. (1995). Japanese adults can learn to produce English /r/ and /l/ accurately. Language and Speech, 38, 25–55.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Flege, J. E., Yeni-Komshian, G. H., & Liu, S. (1999). Age constraints on second-language acquisition. Journal of Memory and Language, 41, 78–101.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gibson, J. J. (1966). The senses considered as perceptual systems. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.Google Scholar
Gibson, J. J. (1979). The ecological approach to visual perception. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.Google Scholar
Goldstein, L., & Fowler, C. A. (2003). Articulatory phonology: A phonology for public language use. In Schiller, N. O. & Meyer, A. S. (Eds.), Phonetics and phonology in language comprehension and production: Differences and similarities (pp. 159–207). Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harris, M., & Chasin, J. (1999). Development in early lexical comprehension: A comparison of parental report and controlled testing. Journal of Child Langugage, 26, 453–460.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ingram, J. C. L., & Park, S.-G. (1997). Cross-language vowel perception and production by Japanese and Korean learners of English. Journal of Phonetics, 25, 343–370.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Iverson, P., & Evans, G. E. (2007). Learning English vowels with different first-language vowel systems: Perception of formant targets, formant movement, and duration. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 122, 2842–2854.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Larson-Hall, J. (2006). What does more time buy you? Another look at the effects of long-term residence on production accuracy of English /r/ and /l/ by Japanese speakers. Language and Speech, 49, 521–548.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Laufer, B. (1998). The development of passive and active vocabulary: Same or different? Applied Linguistics, 19, 255–271.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Laufer, B., & Paribakht, T. (1998). The relationship between passive and active vocabularies: Effects of language learning context. Language and Learning, 48, 365–391.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Liberman, A. M., Cooper, F. S., Shankweiler, D. P., & Studdert-Kennedy, M. (1967). Perception of the speech code. Psychological Review, 74, 431–459.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Liberman, A. M., & Mattingly, I. G. (1985). The motor theory of speech perception revised. Cognition, 21, 1–36.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
MacKain, K. S., Best, C. T., & Strange, W. (1981). Categorical perception of English /r/ and /l/ by Japanese bilinguals. Applied Psycholinguistics, 2, 369–390.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
MacKay, I., Meador, D., & Flege, J. E. (2001). The identification of English consonants by native speakers of Italian. Phonetica, 58, 103–125.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Munro, M., Flege, J. E., & MacKay, I. (1996). The effect of age of second language learning on the production of English vowels. Applied Psycholinguistics, 17, 313–334.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nation, I. S. P. (2006). How large a vocabulary is needed for reading and listening? Canadian Modern Language Review, 63, 59–82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nation, P., & Beglar, D. A. (2007). A vocabulary size test. Language Teacher, 31, 9–13.Google Scholar
Oyama, S. (1976). A sensitive period for the acquisition of a nonnative phonological system. Journal of Psycholinguistic Research, 5, 261–285.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Piske, T., Flege, J. E., MacKay, I., & Meador, D. (2002). The production of English vowels by fluent early and late bilinguals. Phonetica, 59, 49–71.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Piske, T., MacKay, I. R. A., & Flege, J. E. (2001). Factors affecting degree of foreign accent in an L2: A review. Journal of Phonetics, 29, 191–215.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reznick, J. S., & Goldfield, B. A. (1992). Rapid change in lexical development in comprehension and production. Developmental Psychology, 28, 406–413.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rvachew, S., Alhaidary, A., Mattock, K., & Polka, L. (2008). Emergence of the corner vowels in the babble produced by infants exposed to Canadian English or Canadian French. Journal of Phonetics, 36, 564–577.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Seliger, H., Krashen, S., & Ladefoged, P. (1975). Maturational constraints in the acquisition of second language accent. Language and Science, 36, 20–22.Google Scholar
Smith, B. L., McGregor, K. K., & Demille, D. (2006). Phonological development in lexically precocious 2-year-olds. Applied Psycholinguistics, 27, 355–375.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sperbeck, M. (2009). Perception of complex word-initial onsets in English by native speakers of Japanese. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 125, 2761.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Strange, W., Weber, A., Levy, E. S., Shafiro, V., Hisagi, M., & Nishi, K. (2007). Acoustic variability within and across German, French and American English vowels: Phonetic context effects. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 122, 1111–1129.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Thal, D. J., Oroz, M., & McGaw, V. (1995). Phonological and lexical development in normal and late-talking toddlers. Applied Psycholinguistics, 16, 407–424.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tsao, F.-M., Liu, H.-M., & Kuhl, P. K. (2004). Speech perception in infancy predicts language development in the second year of life: A longitudinal study. Child Development, 75, 1067–1084.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tsukada, K. (1999). An acoustic phonetic analysis of Japanese-accented English. Doctoral dissertation, Macquarie University.Google Scholar
Webb, S. (2008). Receptive and productive vocabulary sizes of L2 learners. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 30, 79–95.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Whalen, D. H., Levitt, A., & Goldstein, L. M. (2007). VOT in the babbling of French- and English-learning infants. Journal of Phonetics, 35, 341–352.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Whalen, D. H., Levitt, A., & Wang, Q. (1991). Intonational differences between the reduplicative babbling of French- and English learning infants. Journal of Child Language, 18, 501–516.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Yamada, R. A. (1995). Age and acquisition of second language speech sounds: Perception of American English /r/ and /l/ by native speakers of Japanese. In Strange, W. (Ed.), Speech perception and language experience: Issues in cross-language research (pp. 305–320). Baltimore, MD: York Press.Google Scholar
Yeni-Komshian, G., Flege, J. E., & Liu, S. (2000). Pronunciation proficiency in first and second languages of Korean–English bilinguals. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 3, 131–149.CrossRefGoogle Scholar