School of Languages and Linguistics, University of Melbourne, Australia.
Lang Speech. 2024 Dec;67(4):909-923. doi: 10.1177/00238309231203899. Epub 2023 Oct 28.
This study explores speech processing of English coda laterals (dark L's) in second language (L2) listeners whose native language does not permit laterals at syllable coda positions. We tested L2 listeners' (native Mandarin) perception of coda laterals following three Australian English vowels differing in phonological backness, including /iː/, /ʉː/, and /oː/, which represent a front vowel, and central vowel, and a back vowel, respectively. L2 listeners first completed an AX task which tested their ability to discriminate between /iː/-/iːl/, /ʉː/-/ʉːl/, and /oː/-/oːl/, and then they completed an identification task with eye-tracking which tested their ability to distinguish vowel-lateral sequences and bare vowel categories using explicit phonological-orthographical labels. The results show that vowel backness plays a key role in L2 listeners' perceptual accuracy of English coda laterals, whereas the eye-tracking and identification data suggest some paradigmatic differences between the two tasks. Mandarin listeners show excellent discrimination and identification of coda laterals following a front vowel and poor performance following a back vowel, whereas the central vowel has led to intermediate patterns.
本研究探讨了母语不允许在音节结尾位置出现边音的第二语言（L2）学习者对英语词尾边音（dark L's）的语音处理。我们测试了 L2 学习者（母语为普通话）对三个澳大利亚英语元音后接边音的感知，这三个元音在音韵学上的后程度不同，分别为 /iː/、/ʉː/ 和 /oː/，分别代表前元音、中央元音和后元音。L2 学习者首先完成了 AX 任务，该任务测试了他们区分 /iː/-/iːl/、/ʉː/-/ʉːl/ 和 /oː/-/oːl/的能力，然后他们使用眼动追踪完成了一个识别任务，该任务使用明确的语音-正字法标签测试了他们区分元音-边音序列和纯元音类别的能力。结果表明，元音的后程度在 L2 学习者对英语词尾边音的感知准确性中起着关键作用，而眼动追踪和识别数据表明这两个任务之间存在一些典范差异。普通话学习者对前元音后的边音具有出色的辨别和识别能力，而对后元音的识别能力较差，而中央元音则导致了中间模式。
