Language-Dependent Cue Weighting in Distinctive Feature: Evidence from the Perception of Mandarin High Vowels by Native English Speakers

Autor/inn/en	Zhu, Wenhui; Lee, Sun-Hee; Zhang, Xinting
Titel	Language-Dependent Cue Weighting in Distinctive Feature: Evidence from the Perception of Mandarin High Vowels by Native English Speakers
Quelle	In: Asian-Pacific Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education, 8 (2023), Artikel 31 (14 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
DOI	10.1186/s40862-023-00204-6
Schlagwörter	Vowels; Mandarin Chinese; English; Native Speakers; Speech Communication; Auditory Perception; Classification; Task Analysis; Comparative Analysis; Cues; Phonetics; Teaching Methods; Second Language Learning; Second Language Instruction; Pronunciation; Distinctive Features (Language) + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? English language; Englisch; Muttersprachler; Auditive Wahrnehmung; Akustische Wahrnehmung; Akustik; Classification system; Klassifikation; Klassifikationssystem; Aufgabenanalyse; Stichwort; Phonetik; Fonetik; Teaching method; Lehrmethode; Unterrichtsmethode; Zweitsprachenerwerb; Fremdsprachenunterricht; Aussprache
Abstract	This study investigates the perception of the three Mandarin high vowels /i, u, y/ after dental, retroflex, and palatal fricatives and affricates (/s/-/[voiceless alveolar affricate]/-/[voiceless alveolar affricate][superscript voiceless glottal fricative]/; /[voiceless retroflex sibilant fricative]/-/[voiceless alveolar affricate]/-/[voiceless alveolar affricate][superscript voiceless glottal fricative]/, and /[voiceless alveolo-palatal sibilant affricate]/, /[voiceless alveolo-palatal sibilant fricative][superscript voiceless glottal fricative]/, /[voiceless alveolo-palatal sibilant fricative]/) by native English speakers. The results of the perceptual identification and categorization experiments show that among the three target vowels, the high front rounded vowel /y/ presents the greatest challenge for native English speakers. They have a significantly higher tendency to confuse /y/ with the Mandarin high-back rounded vowel /u/ compared to the Mandarin high-front unrounded vowel /i/, as they perceptually classified /y/ and /u/ into the same English vowel category /u/. The findings of the study suggest that native English speakers adopt a perceptual strategy that differs from that of native Japanese and Korean speakers, relying heavier on the feature of roundness as opposed to backness in perceiving the Mandarin /y/. This study contributes to the perceptual cue weighting field by examining the weighting of phonetic cues (i.e., distinctive features) in Mandarin high vowels by native English speakers. These results hold pedagogical significance as they highlight the importance of targeted perception training for learners of different language backgrounds to enhance both their recognition and reproduction of second language sounds. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01