Georgiou Georgios P, Giannakou Aretousa
Department of Languages and Literature, University of Nicosia, Nicosia, Cyprus.
Phonetic Lab, University of Nicosia, Nicosia, Cyprus.
J Psycholinguist Res. 2024 Feb 4;53(1):9. doi: 10.1007/s10936-024-10038-z.
Although extensive research has focused on the perceptual abilities of second language (L2) learners, a significant gap persists in understanding how cognitive functions like phonological short-term memory (PSTM) and nonverbal intelligence (IQ) impact L2 speech perception. This study sets out to investigate the discrimination of L2 English monophthongal vowel contrasts and to assess the effect of PSTM and nonverbal IQ on L2 speech perception. The participants consisted of adult monolingually-raised Greek speakers, who completed an AX discrimination test, a digit span test, and a nonverbal intelligence test. A control group of English speakers also completed the AX test. Data were analyzed using Bayesian regression models. The results revealed that Greek speakers exhibited below chance discrimination for the majority of L2 vowel contrasts, consistently underperforming in comparison to the control group. Intriguingly, the study did not provide substantial evidence in favor of more accurate discrimination of L2 contrasts by Greek participants with high PSTM compared to those with low PSTM. However, the study yielded compelling evidence indicating that Greek participants with higher IQ demonstrated superior accuracy in discriminating most L2 contrasts compared to their lower IQ counterparts. The limited influence of PSTM on speech perception suggests the need for further exploration, considering the potential impact of test methodologies and the intricate interplay of other confounding factors. Furthermore, the study uncovers a noteworthy relationship between nonverbal IQ and L2 speech perception, likely linked with the association of high IQ with enhanced attentional capacities, information processing abilities, and learning skills-all of which are pivotal for accurate speech perception.
尽管大量研究聚焦于第二语言（L2）学习者的感知能力，但在理解诸如语音短期记忆（PSTM）和非言语智力（IQ）等认知功能如何影响L2语音感知方面，仍存在显著差距。本研究旨在调查L2英语单元音对比的辨别能力，并评估PSTM和非言语IQ对L2语音感知的影响。参与者包括成年单语希腊语使用者，他们完成了AX辨别测试、数字广度测试和非言语智力测试。一组以英语为母语的对照组也完成了AX测试。使用贝叶斯回归模型对数据进行分析。结果显示，希腊语使用者在大多数L2元音对比上表现出低于随机水平的辨别能力，与对照组相比持续表现不佳。有趣的是，该研究没有提供充分证据表明，与低PSTM的希腊参与者相比，高PSTM的希腊参与者对L2对比的辨别更准确。然而，该研究提供了有力证据表明，与低IQ的希腊参与者相比，高IQ的希腊参与者在辨别大多数L2对比时表现出更高的准确性。PSTM对语音感知的影响有限，这表明考虑到测试方法的潜在影响以及其他混杂因素的复杂相互作用，有必要进行进一步探索。此外，该研究揭示了非言语IQ与L2语音感知之间的显著关系，这可能与高IQ与增强的注意力、信息处理能力和学习技能之间的关联有关——所有这些对于准确的语音感知都至关重要。
