LINGUIST List 20.2693
Wed Aug 05 2009
Diss: Phonetics/Psycholing: Bundgaard-Nielsen: 'The Role of L2...'
Editor for this issue: Di Wdzenczny
<dilinguistlist.org>
1. Rikke
Bundgaard-Nielsen,
The Role of L2 Vocabulary Expansion in the Perception and Production of Australian English Vowels by Adult Native Speakers of Japanese
Message 1: The Role of L2 Vocabulary Expansion in the Perception and Production of Australian English Vowels by Adult Native Speakers of Japanese
Date: 04-Aug-2009
From: Rikke Bundgaard-Nielsen <r.bundgaardnielsenuws.edu.au>
Subject: The Role of L2 Vocabulary Expansion in the Perception and Production of Australian English Vowels by Adult Native Speakers of Japanese
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Institution: University of Western Sydney
Program: PhD
Dissertation Status: Completed
Degree Date: 2009
Author: Rikke L. Bundgaard-Nielsen
Dissertation Title: The Role of L2 Vocabulary Expansion in the Perception and Production of Australian English Vowels by Adult Native Speakers of Japanese
Linguistic Field(s):
Phonetics
Psycholinguistics
Dissertation Director:
Catherine T. Best
Satomi Kawaguchi
Christian Kroos
Michael D. Tyler
Dissertation Abstract:
Research indicates that adult Second Language (L2) learners typically donot become native-like in their perception or production of their L2,likely as a result of interference from their native language (L1).Research also indicates that L2 perception and production nonethelessimproves with increased experience with the L2. Until recently, however,theories of L2 acquisition (e.g., SLM: Flege, 1995; PAM: Best, 1994) havebeen vague in their account of the processes underlying this improvement.The recent PAM-L2 (Best & Tyler, 2007), however, opens up new ways tounderstand experiential change in L2 perception and production. Centrally,PAM-L2 suggests that a large L2 vocabulary curtails change in L2 perceptionand production because it forces the learner to settle on an accentedversion of the L2 phonology.
The present thesis introduces the Vocabulary-Tuning Model of L2Rephonologisation (Vocab Model). This model extends PAM-L2 by highlightingthe facilitating effect of L2 vocabulary expansion, in early L2 immersionwhen the L2 vocabulary is still small, on the perception and production ofan L2. It is further argued that the processes underpinning thisimprovement are analogous to those that underpin L1 acquisition in infantsand toddlers. The thesis tests the Vocab Model in a series of studies(cross-sectional as well as longitudinal) of the perception and productionof Australian English vowels by native speakers of Japanese, who haverecently arrived in Australia for the purpose of acquiring English. Theresults show that L2 vocabulary size is indeed associated with L2 vowelperception and production and thus support the predictions of the VocabModel. The thesis examines the usefulness of different criteria for L2-L1vowel assimilation and discusses the findings in relation to results fromL1-vowel perception research. The research design also pioneers a 'wholesystem' approach to cross-language vowel perception research that allowsthe learners to use all native vowels and all native vowel combinations(all three thesis studies), and to apply them to the full inventory of L2vowels (Study 1). It is argued that results from such an approach moreappropriately reflect the actual perceptual flexibility of the learners ina natural L2-immersion context than would a smaller subset of L1 and/or L2vowels. This 'whole system' approach further suggests that L1 phonotacticsis worthwhile to consider in future studies of L2 segmental perception andproduction.
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