Evaluation af a Technique for Training New Speech Contrasts

A cross-language comparison of /d /–/ð / perception: Evidence for a new developmental pattern

“…As mentioned above, infants have shown declines for non-native contrasts that non-native adults can easily differentiate. As well, training studies with adults have shown that differentiation of difficult and rarely heard non-native contrasts can be achieved with sufficient training ͑e.g., Jamieson and Morosan, 1986;Logan et al, 1991;Morosan and Jamieson, 1989;Pisoni et al, 1982;Tees and Werker, 1984͒ or when sensitive testing procedures are employed ͑e.g., Werker and Tees, 1984b͒. Several other findings also argue against an interpretation of developmental decline as a simple effect of exposure.…”

“…There is abundant anecdotal evidence supporting the claim that French Canadians typically substitute /d/ for /Z/ and /t/ for /-/ when they attempt to produce the English interdental fricatives. Several studies also indicate that this production error is due, at least in part, to problems in perceptual differentiation of these phones ͑Jamieson and Morosan, 1986Morosan and Jamieson, 1989; These researchers report that French Canadian adults who are learning English perceive English /Z/ as an instance of French /d/ and English /-/ as an instance of French /t/, and thus describing a single category assimilation pattern for English /d-Z/. To date, Morosan and Jamieson ͑1989͒ have reported the most detailed assessment of Francophone perception of this stop-fricative contrast.…”