Vincent Porretta

The influence of gradient foreign accentedness and listener experience on word recognition

Abstract The present article examines lexical processing of foreign-accented speech, specifically as it relates to gradient foreign accentedness and listener experience. In two experiments, we investigate the effect of accentedness and experience on the strength of lexical activation and the time-course of word recognition utilizing native- and Mandarin-accented English words. Gradient and non-linear patterns emerged for both accentedness and experience. Experiment 1 employed cross-modal identity priming and the analysis of reaction times indicates that tokens with a greater degree of accentedness result in a reduced effectiveness of the identity prime. Listener experience with Chinese-accented English positively influenced activation strength in a gradient fashion. Experiment 2 employed visual world eye-tracking and the analysis of looks to the target word indicates that the time-course of recognition differs across the accentedness continuum, slowing as accentedness increases. Again, listener experience improved the time-course of word recognition. The results are discussed in terms of foreign-accented speech processing and long-term adaptation to non-native variability and suggest the need for a dynamic systems approach.

Perceived foreign accentedness: acoustic distances and lexical properties.

In this study, we examined speaker-dependent (acoustic) and speaker-independent (lexical) linguistic influences on perceived foreign accentedness. Accentedness ratings assigned to Chinese-accented English words were analyzed, taking accentedness as a continuum. The speaker-dependent variables were included as acoustic distances, measured in relation to typical native-speaker values. The speaker-independent variable measures were related to the properties of individual words, not influenced by the speech signal. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this represents the first attempt to examine speaker-dependent and speaker-independent variables simultaneously. The model indicated that the perception of accentedness is affected by both acoustic goodness of fit and lexical properties. The results are discussed in terms of matching variability in the input to multidimensional representations.

Orthographic Activation in L2 Spoken Word Recognition Depends on Proficiency: Evidence from Eye-Tracking

The use of orthographic and phonological information in spoken word recognition was studied in a visual world task where L1 Finnish learners of L2 French (n = 64) and L1 French native speakers (n = 24) were asked to match spoken word forms with printed words while their eye movements were recorded. In Experiment 1, French target words were contrasted with competitors having a longer ( vs. ) or a shorter word initial phonological overlap ( vs. ) and an identical orthographic overlap. In Experiment 2, target words were contrasted with competitors of either longer ( vs. ) or shorter word initial orthographic overlap ( vs. ) and of an identical phonological overlap. A general phonological effect was observed in the L2 listener group but not in the L1 control group. No general orthographic effects were observed in the L2 or L1 groups, but a significant effect of proficiency was observed for orthographic overlap over time: higher proficiency L2 listeners used also orthographic information in the matching task in a time-window from 400 to 700 ms, whereas no such effect was observed for lower proficiency listeners. These results suggest that the activation of orthographic information in L2 spoken word recognition depends on proficiency in L2.

Got experience? PMN amplitudes to foreign-accented speech modulated by listener experience

Abstract This study examines processing of native- and Chinese-accented English words. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded for a set of spoken English words varying in degree of foreign accentedness. Waveform differences emerge for the Phonological Mapping Negativity (PMN) component across the continuum of foreign accentedness. Moreover, these differences in the response also vary across a measure of listener experience related to the amount of reported interaction listeners have with Chinese-accented speakers. The results are discussed in relation to online processing of speech variability, long-term exposure to the variability inherent to foreign-accented speech, and the functional significance of the PMN.

Perception of Non-Native Consonant Length Contrast: The Role of Attention in Phonetic Processing.

The present investigation examines English speakers’ ability to identify and discriminate non-native consonant length contrast. Three groups (L1 English No-Instruction, L1 English Instruction, and L1 Finnish control) performed a speeded forced-choice identification task and a speeded AX discrimination task on Finnish non-words (e.g. /hupo/–/huppo/) which were manipulated for intervocalic consonant duration. The results indicate that basic information, focusing the participants’ attention on a particular contrast, assists novice listeners in processing a non-native contrast. We find support for a phonetic level of processing which is intermediate to non-linguistic acoustic processing and phonemic processing at which the phonetic cue of duration becomes significant. We interpret the results in relation to the Speech Learning Model (Flege 1995, 2003).

Visual World Paradigm Data: From Preprocessing to Nonlinear Time-Course Analysis

The Visual World Paradigm (VWP) is used to study online spoken language processing and produces time-series data. The data present challenges for analysis and they require significant preprocessing and are by nature nonlinear. Here, we discuss VWPre, a new tool for data preprocessing, and generalized additive mixed modeling (GAMM), a relatively new approach for nonlinear time-series analysis (using mgcv and itsadug), which are all available in R. An example application of GAMM using preprocessed data is provided to illustrate its advantages in addressing the issues inherent to other methods, allowing researchers to more fully understand and interpret VWP data.

Intelligibility of foreign-accented words: Acoustic distances and gradient foreign accentedness

Intelligibility and degree of accentedness are interrelated aspects of non-native speech. Previous research suggests that foreign accentedness is influenced by phonetic distance measures [7]. These distance measures may also influence the intelligibility of individual words. In the present study we further investigate the relationship between the intelligibility of nativeand Mandarin-accented English words and acoustic distance measures (both spectral and temporal). We also examine the functional relationship between intelligibility and ratings of foreign accentedness assigned to the same words. Intelligibility was based on transcription accuracy scores and acoustic distances were based on formant and duration measurements in relation to mean values from a set of native talkers. The results indicate that temporal and spectral distances influence word intelligibility and that the functional relationship between intelligibility and accentedness is non-linear.

Perception of non-native consonant length in naïve English listeners

English speakers are sensitive to phonetic length [Pickett and Decker (1960)] but do not maintain a phonemic length contrast [Hayes (2002)]. This study examines English speakers’ ability to discriminate and identify intervocalic consonant length in Finnish non-words. The consonants were manipulated for length and half of the participants were given brief written instruction regarding the Finnish length contrast. In an AX discrimination task, participants responded to increasing contrast ratio gradiently; however, the instructed group performed significantly better than the uninstructed group. Proficiency in any second language aids contrast detection in those receiving no instruction. In a forced-choice identification task, participants showed no evidence of boundary effects; however, the instructed group performed significantly more like native Finnish controls. Again, second language proficiency aids in consonant length detection. The present results indicate that information about and attention to a no...