The contribution of orthographic input, phonological skills, and rise time discrimination to the learning of non-native phonemic contrasts

Abstract

Although learning second language phonology is a difficult task, orthographic input may support the learning of difficult sound contrasts through a process known as orthographic facilitation. We extended this research by examining the effects of orthographic input together with individual differences in three different phonological learning processes, namely, the production of, perception of, and memorization of words containing three Marathi phonemic contrasts (i.e., [k-kh], [-ɖ], and [-ʈ]) by native English speakers. Moreover, because the [-ɖ] and [-ʈ] contrasts were particularly challenging in previous auditory training studies (e.g., Polka, 1991), we used cross-modal training in order to enhance learning by pairing auditory perception tasks with visual orthographic information, the amplification of relevant acoustic cues, and proprioceptive descriptions to the articulation of target phonemes. Results showed significant learning from the pre- to the posttest across tasks and contrasts, supporting the effectiveness of cross-modal training. Furthermore, incongruent orthographic input could inhibit perception, and orthographic input generally supported memory for word pronunciations. Moreover, individual differences regarding phonological skills and nonspeech auditory discrimination predicted participants’ success in different phonological learning processes. These results provide a detailed picture of the complexity between different aspects of second language phonological learning and cross-modal training.

The Science of Microteaching and Learning: An Exploratory Study

“…The indexed category of Visual presentation defined instances when the teacher spoke and showed the orthographic representation. Linking between different representations of a concept is considered generally helpful for learning and understanding (Mayer & Anderson, 1991), with written and spoken forms of language mutually contributing to each other's acquisition (Bhide, Ortega‐Llebaria, Fraundorf, & Perfetti, 2020). The teacher would also sometimes sequence new items differently from that suggested by the resource sheet ( Sequences ).…”

Construction of Coherence in Narrative Comprehension: Studies on the Importance of Establishing Causal Connections, Gaps in Current Research, and Future Directions

“…Por su parte, el discurso escrito puede ser procesado a la velocidad que elija el lector, y permite volver a procesar enunciados (Cossavella & Cevasco, 2021;Ferreira & Anes, 1994;Fox Tree & Clark, 2013). Por otro lado, la presentación de materiales del discurso espontáneo es importante, dado que estudios previos han sugerido que refleja en mayor medida la construcción de coherencia que los estudiantes realizan durante su participación social en el ámbito cotidiano (Bhide et al, 2020;Golding et al, 1995). En relación con esto, estudios preliminares sugieren que los enunciados que tienen alta conectividad causal facilitan el recuerdo y respuesta a preguntas, y el recuerdo de enunciados emocionales a partir de entrevistas de radio de temas de interés general (Cevasco & van den Broek, 2008Cevasco et al, 2020;Cossavella & Cevasco, 2021;de Simone & Cevasco, 2020).…”