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The Role of Perception in Differential Substitution

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 June 2016

Kathleen Brannen
Kathleen Brannen*
Affiliation:
McGill University
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Abstract

This article examines differential substitution of the L2 English voiceless interdental fricative, [θ]. The L1s investigated in this study—European French, Québec French, and Japanese—have been reported to substitute [s], [t], and [s] respectively in production. Two main hypotheses are explored: 1) Transfer is perceptually based; 2) Substitution involves an assessment of non-contrastive in addition to contrastive features. Results of an AXB task show that advanced learners are unable to perceive certain non-contrastive distinctions; however, unlike Japanese listeners, French listeners do perceive Strident and Mellow, features which are non-contrastive in their L1. Results indicate a clear perceptual basis for the Japanese substitute. The difference between Québec and European French is less clear; however, there is a trend which suggests a perceptual basis for the European French substitute. Another finding is that confusion of [f] and [θ] is greater for French than it is for Japanese listeners. It is proposed that the composition of the L1 phonetic inventory influences which features listeners attend to during perception.

Résumé

Résumé

Cet article examine la substitution différentielle de la fricative interdentale non-voisée, [θ], en anglais langue seconde. Les langues maternelles examinées dans cette étude, le français européen, le français québécois et le japonais, substituent en production [s], [t] et [s] respectivement. Deux hypothèses principales sont explorées: 1) le transfert est basé sur la perception; 2) la substitution implique une évaluation de traits non-contrastifs en plus de traits contrastifs. Les résultats d’un test AXB montrent que les apprenants avancés sont incapables de percevoir certaines distinctions non-contrastives; cependant, contrairement aux auditeurs japonais, les auditeurs français perçoivent les traits strident et moelleux, qui ne sont pas contrastifs dans leur Ll. Les résultats indiquent qu’il y a un fondement perceptuel pour le substitut japonais. Les différences entre le français québécois et européen sont moins nettes; cependant, il y a une tendance qui suggère que le substitut en français européen est basé sur la perception. Un autre résultat est que la confusion de [f] et [θ] est plus grande pour les auditeurs français que pour les auditeurs japonais. La notion que la composition de l’inventaire phonétique de la L1 a une influence sur les traits auxquels les auditeurs portent leur attention au cours de la perception est proposée.

Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal of Linguistics/Revue canadienne de linguistique , Volume 47 , Issue 1-2 , June 2002 , pp. 1 - 46
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Linguistic Association 2002

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