Production and perception of phonological contrasts in second language acquisition: Korean and English fricatives

This study investigates the effects on (1) the differing degree of phonetic similarity between L1 and L2 sounds and between members of an L2 contrast and (2) L2 experience in the production and perception of L2 phonological contrasts which do not exist in L1, along with (3) the relationships between production and perception in second language acquisition.; In Chapter 1, the results and findings of previous experimental studies of SLA are discussed along with theoretical models of L2 phonological acquisition. Chapter 2 reviews the articulatory, acoustic, and perceptual characteristics of Korean and English fricatives found in previous experimental research studies. Special focus is placed on the phonological and phonetic characteristics of Korean /s-s*/ and of English /s-∫/ as produced and perceived by Korean and English native speakers. Chapter 3 presents the research questions addressed in the present study, and the predictions to be tested in subsequent chapters. Chapter 4 examines the degrees of both perceived identity and acoustic similarity between Korean and English fricatives before /i/ and /a/. In Chapter 5, I attempt to examine the acoustic differences between L1 and L2 groups in the production of English and Korean fricatives in three vowel contexts, and in Chapter 6, differences in the perception of Korean and English fricatives. Then, in Chapter 7, along with listener judgments of production tasks, relationships between perception and production in SLA are discussed. Finally, Chapter 8 discusses the research questions addressed in this dissertation, and the implications of my findings in the present studies.; In conclusion, the production and perception of L2 contrasts not found in L1 are related in various and different ways. The present study claims that the production-perception relationship depends on the nature of the contrast, on the relative degree of phonetic similarity between L1 and L2 sounds and between members of an L2 contrast, and on the L2 experience. The following table summarizes the results of Group x Task interaction found in the present study.