Processing nonnative consonant clusters in the classroom: Perception and production of phonetic detail

Abstract

Recent research has shown that speakers are sensitive to non-contrastive phonetic detail present in nonnative speech (e.g. Escudero et al. 2012; Wilson et al. 2014). Difficulties in interpreting and implementing unfamiliar phonetic variation can lead nonnative speakers to modify second language forms by vowel epenthesis and other changes. These difficulties may be exacerbated in the classroom, as previous studies have found that classroom acoustics have a detrimental effect on listeners’ ability to identify nonnative sounds and words (e.g. Takata and Nábělek, 1990). Here we compare the effects of two acoustic environments – a sound booth and a classroom – on English speakers’ ability to process and produce unfamiliar consonant sequences in an immediate shadowing task. A number of acoustic–phonetic properties were manipulated to create variants of word-initial obstruent–obstruent and obstruent–nasal clusters. The acoustic manipulations significantly affected English speakers’ correct productions and detailed error patterns in both the sound booth and the classroom, suggesting that the relevant acoustic detail is not substantially degraded by classroom acoustics. However, differences in the response patterns in the two environments indicate that the classroom setting does affect how speakers interpret nonnative phonetic detail for the purpose of determining their production targets.

Cross-linguistic variation in word-initial cluster production in adult and child language: evidence from English and Norwegian

“…Studies suggest that vocalic insertion occurs more frequently in voiced clusters than in voiceless clusters (e.g., Davidson, 2000). In studies on repetition of non-native clusters, Davidson (2010), Wilson and Davidson (2013), and Davidson and Wilson (2016) also found a higher incidence of vocalic insertion after stops than after fricatives, and a higher incidence after voiced stops than after voiceless stops.…”

Ease and Difficulty in L2 Phonology: A Mini-Review

“…This sort of metalinguistic knowledge can affect production. Davidson and Wilson (2016) extend a body of research which documents L2 learners' sensitivity to non-contrastive phonetic properties (which might account for occurrences of prothesis vs. epenthesis in cluster repair) to look at learner behavior in the classroom. While subjects listening in a classroom (compared to a sound booth) showed some differences (e.g., less prothesis repair), by and large the performance was very similar.…”

The Phonetic Realization of Obstruent Clusters in Najdi Arabic: An Exploratory Study

“…The waveform and spectrogram of each word were visually examined. The coding of the data followed the same procedure conducted by Davidson and Wilson (2016). The productions were classified into four categories : (1) a cluster code was assigned when no voicing nor visible first and second vowel formants existed between the two obstruents; (2) a non-cluster code was applied if visible voicing and first and second vowel formants were present between the two obstruents; (3) a deletion code was used when either of the obstruents were omitted; and (4) a prothesis code was assigned if an additional vowel with clear first and second formants was inserted initially.…”