Research indicates that adult Second Language (L2) learners typically do not 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 nonetheless improves with increased experience with the L2. Until recently, however, theories of L2 acquisition (e.g., SLM: Flege, 1995; PAM: Best, 1994) have been vague in their account of the processes underlying this improvement. The recent PAM-L2 (Best and Tyler, 2007), however, opens up new ways to understand experiential change in L2 perception and production. Centrally, PAM-L2 suggests that a large L2 vocabulary curtails change in L2 perception and production because it forces the learner to settle on an accented version of the L2 phonology. The present thesis introduces the Vocabulary-Tuning Model of L2 Rephonologisation (Vocab Model). This model extends PAM-L2 by highlighting the facilitating effect of L2 vocabulary expansion, in early L2 immersion when the L2 vocabulary is still small, on the perception and production of an L2. It is further argued that the processes underpinning this improvement are analogous to those that underpin L1 acquisition in infants and toddlers. The thesis tests the Vocab Model in a series of studies (cross-sectional as well as longitudinal) of the perception and production of Australian English vowels by native speakers of Japanese, who have recently arrived in Australia for the purpose of acquiring English. The results show that L2 vocabulary size is indeed associated with L2 vowel perception and production and thus support the predictions of the Vocab Model. The thesis examines the usefulness of different criteria for L2-L1 vowel assimilation and discusses the findings in relation to results from L1-vowel perception research. The research design also pioneers a ‘whole system’ approach to cross-language vowel perception research that allows the learners to use all native vowels and all native vowel combinations (all three thesis studies), and to apply them to the full inventory of L2 vowels (Study 1). It is argued that results from such an approach more appropriately reflect the actual perceptual flexibility of the learners in a natural L2-immersion context than would a smaller subset of L1 and/or L2 vowels. This ‘whole system’ approach further suggests that L1 phonotactics is worthwhile to consider in future studies of L2 segmental perception and production. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/273615 |
| Date | January 2009 |
| Creators | Bundgaard-Nielsen, Rikke L., University of Western Sydney, College of Arts, MARCS Auditory Laboratories |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
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