The Influence of Dialect on the Perception and Production of Lax-Tense Vowel Distinction in English Learning

Jie Ji; Aitong Jiang

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ijll.20221002.16

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The Influence of Dialect on the Perception and Production of Lax-Tense Vowel Distinction in English Learning

Jie Ji, Aitong Jiang

Published in International Journal of Language and Linguistics (Volume 10, Issue 2)

Received: 20 February 2022 Accepted: 9 March 2022 Published: 18 March 2022

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Abstract

This acoustic experimental study investigates the influence of dialectal background on the perception and production of lax-tense vowel distinction in English learning from the theoretical standpoint of language transfer. Previous studies usually regard the first language as a source of transfer, with few considering the influence of dialect in the process of transfer, while this study has taken account of participants’ dialects and biological genders and look at whether and how Chinese dialectal knowledge is transferred in English learning. A perception and a production experiment are conducted with two groups of participants -- Cantonese Chinese speakers and Mandarin Chinese speakers -- to respectively analyze their perception and production strategy for English lax-tense vowel pairs [I]/[i:] and [ʊ]/[u:]. The study finds out that dialect and gender cause statistically significant difference. The result shows that Cantonese speakers can effectively leverage spectral cues to differentiate English tense vowels from lax vowels, while Mandarin speakers rely heavily on durational cues. The two lingual groups have disparate production result, but no one group is overall better than the other in producing lax-tense vowels. Mandarin and Cantonese participants only differ in the F2 of the [u:] production. Moreover, when gender is considered, Mandarin females can produce native-like [ʊ]; Cantonese males and females can produce native-like [I], Cantonese females native-like [i:] and Cantonese males native-like [u:]. This study confirms that dialect should be considered in transfer study, and further points out that both dialect and gender are significant variables of the transfer mechanism in foreign language acquisition.

Published in	International Journal of Language and Linguistics (Volume 10, Issue 2)
DOI	10.11648/j.ijll.20221002.16
Page(s)	103-110
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Transfer, Dialect, Speech Production, Speech Perception

References

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[3]	Flege, James Emil. (1987). The Production of ‘New’ and ‘Similar’ Phones in a Foreign Language: Evidence for the Effect of Equivalence Classification. Journal of Phonetics, 15 (1), 47-65. doi: 10.1016/S0095-4470(19)30537-6.
[4]	Mayr, Robert, & Paola Escudero. (2010). Explaining Individual Variation in L2 Perception: Rounded Vowels in English Learners of German. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 13 (3), 279-297. doi: 10.1017/S1366728909990022.
[5]	Tyler, Michael D., Catherine T. Best, Alice Faber, & Andrea G. Levitt. (2014). Perceptual Assimilation and Discrimination of Non-Native Vowel Contrasts. Phonetica, 71 (1), 4-21. doi: 10.1159/000356237.
[6]	van Leussen, Jan-Willem, & Paola Escudero. (2015). Learning to Perceive and Recognize a Second Language: The L2LP Model Revised. Frontiers in Psychology 6. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01000.
[7]	Escudero, Paola, & Daniel Williams. (2012). Native Dialect Influences Second-Language Vowel Perception: Peruvian versus Iberian Spanish Learners of Dutch. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 131 (5), EL406-12. doi: 10.1121/1.3701708.
[8]	O’brien, Mary Grantham, & Laura Catharine Smith. (2010). Role of First Language Dialect in the Production of Second Language German Vowels. IRAL - International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching, 48 (4). doi: 10.1515/iral.2010.013.
[9]	Falahuddin, M. A., Saleh, M., & Fitriati, S. W. (2019). The Influence of Mid-East Sundanese Dialect (L1) in The Pronounciation of English Among English Department Students at Universitas Majalengka. English Education Journal, 9 (2), 157-163. doi: 10.15294/EEJ.V9I2.28396.
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[11]	Miller, Joanne L., & Francois Grosjean. (1997). Dialect Effects in Vowel Perception: The Role of Temporal Information in French. Language and Speech, 40 (3), 277-88. doi: 10.1177/002383099704000304.
[12]	Chen, Hsueh Chu. (2015). Acoustic Analyses and Intelligibility Assessments of Timing Patterns Among Chinese English Learners with Different Dialect Backgrounds. Journal of Psycholinguistic Research, 44 (6), 749-73. doi: 10.1007/s10936-014-9315-5.
[13]	Chan, Alice Y. W. (2011). The Perception of English Speech Sounds by Cantonese ESL Learners in Hong Kong. TESOL Quarterly, 45 (4), 718-48. doi: 10.5054/tq.2011.268056.
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APA Style

Jie Ji, Aitong Jiang. (2022). The Influence of Dialect on the Perception and Production of Lax-Tense Vowel Distinction in English Learning. International Journal of Language and Linguistics, 10(2), 103-110. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijll.20221002.16

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ACS Style

Jie Ji; Aitong Jiang. The Influence of Dialect on the Perception and Production of Lax-Tense Vowel Distinction in English Learning. Int. J. Lang. Linguist. 2022, 10(2), 103-110. doi: 10.11648/j.ijll.20221002.16

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AMA Style

Jie Ji, Aitong Jiang. The Influence of Dialect on the Perception and Production of Lax-Tense Vowel Distinction in English Learning. Int J Lang Linguist. 2022;10(2):103-110. doi: 10.11648/j.ijll.20221002.16

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@article{10.11648/j.ijll.20221002.16,
  author = {Jie Ji and Aitong Jiang},
  title = {The Influence of Dialect on the Perception and Production of Lax-Tense Vowel Distinction in English Learning},
  journal = {International Journal of Language and Linguistics},
  volume = {10},
  number = {2},
  pages = {103-110},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijll.20221002.16},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijll.20221002.16},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijll.20221002.16},
  abstract = {This acoustic experimental study investigates the influence of dialectal background on the perception and production of lax-tense vowel distinction in English learning from the theoretical standpoint of language transfer. Previous studies usually regard the first language as a source of transfer, with few considering the influence of dialect in the process of transfer, while this study has taken account of participants’ dialects and biological genders and look at whether and how Chinese dialectal knowledge is transferred in English learning. A perception and a production experiment are conducted with two groups of participants -- Cantonese Chinese speakers and Mandarin Chinese speakers -- to respectively analyze their perception and production strategy for English lax-tense vowel pairs [I]/[i:] and [ʊ]/[u:]. The study finds out that dialect and gender cause statistically significant difference. The result shows that Cantonese speakers can effectively leverage spectral cues to differentiate English tense vowels from lax vowels, while Mandarin speakers rely heavily on durational cues. The two lingual groups have disparate production result, but no one group is overall better than the other in producing lax-tense vowels. Mandarin and Cantonese participants only differ in the F2 of the [u:] production. Moreover, when gender is considered, Mandarin females can produce native-like [ʊ]; Cantonese males and females can produce native-like [I], Cantonese females native-like [i:] and Cantonese males native-like [u:]. This study confirms that dialect should be considered in transfer study, and further points out that both dialect and gender are significant variables of the transfer mechanism in foreign language acquisition.},
 year = {2022}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - The Influence of Dialect on the Perception and Production of Lax-Tense Vowel Distinction in English Learning
AU  - Jie Ji
AU  - Aitong Jiang
Y1  - 2022/03/18
PY  - 2022
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijll.20221002.16
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijll.20221002.16
T2  - International Journal of Language and Linguistics
JF  - International Journal of Language and Linguistics
JO  - International Journal of Language and Linguistics
SP  - 103
EP  - 110
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-0221
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijll.20221002.16
AB  - This acoustic experimental study investigates the influence of dialectal background on the perception and production of lax-tense vowel distinction in English learning from the theoretical standpoint of language transfer. Previous studies usually regard the first language as a source of transfer, with few considering the influence of dialect in the process of transfer, while this study has taken account of participants’ dialects and biological genders and look at whether and how Chinese dialectal knowledge is transferred in English learning. A perception and a production experiment are conducted with two groups of participants -- Cantonese Chinese speakers and Mandarin Chinese speakers -- to respectively analyze their perception and production strategy for English lax-tense vowel pairs [I]/[i:] and [ʊ]/[u:]. The study finds out that dialect and gender cause statistically significant difference. The result shows that Cantonese speakers can effectively leverage spectral cues to differentiate English tense vowels from lax vowels, while Mandarin speakers rely heavily on durational cues. The two lingual groups have disparate production result, but no one group is overall better than the other in producing lax-tense vowels. Mandarin and Cantonese participants only differ in the F2 of the [u:] production. Moreover, when gender is considered, Mandarin females can produce native-like [ʊ]; Cantonese males and females can produce native-like [I], Cantonese females native-like [i:] and Cantonese males native-like [u:]. This study confirms that dialect should be considered in transfer study, and further points out that both dialect and gender are significant variables of the transfer mechanism in foreign language acquisition.
VL  - 10
IS  - 2
ER  -

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Author Information

Jie Ji

Department of English and International Studies, China Foreign Affairs University, Beijing, China
Aitong Jiang

Department of English and International Studies, China Foreign Affairs University, Beijing, China

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APA Style

Jie Ji, Aitong Jiang. (2022). The Influence of Dialect on the Perception and Production of Lax-Tense Vowel Distinction in English Learning. International Journal of Language and Linguistics, 10(2), 103-110. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijll.20221002.16

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ACS Style

Jie Ji; Aitong Jiang. The Influence of Dialect on the Perception and Production of Lax-Tense Vowel Distinction in English Learning. Int. J. Lang. Linguist. 2022, 10(2), 103-110. doi: 10.11648/j.ijll.20221002.16

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AMA Style

Jie Ji, Aitong Jiang. The Influence of Dialect on the Perception and Production of Lax-Tense Vowel Distinction in English Learning. Int J Lang Linguist. 2022;10(2):103-110. doi: 10.11648/j.ijll.20221002.16

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@article{10.11648/j.ijll.20221002.16,
  author = {Jie Ji and Aitong Jiang},
  title = {The Influence of Dialect on the Perception and Production of Lax-Tense Vowel Distinction in English Learning},
  journal = {International Journal of Language and Linguistics},
  volume = {10},
  number = {2},
  pages = {103-110},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijll.20221002.16},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijll.20221002.16},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijll.20221002.16},
  abstract = {This acoustic experimental study investigates the influence of dialectal background on the perception and production of lax-tense vowel distinction in English learning from the theoretical standpoint of language transfer. Previous studies usually regard the first language as a source of transfer, with few considering the influence of dialect in the process of transfer, while this study has taken account of participants’ dialects and biological genders and look at whether and how Chinese dialectal knowledge is transferred in English learning. A perception and a production experiment are conducted with two groups of participants -- Cantonese Chinese speakers and Mandarin Chinese speakers -- to respectively analyze their perception and production strategy for English lax-tense vowel pairs [I]/[i:] and [ʊ]/[u:]. The study finds out that dialect and gender cause statistically significant difference. The result shows that Cantonese speakers can effectively leverage spectral cues to differentiate English tense vowels from lax vowels, while Mandarin speakers rely heavily on durational cues. The two lingual groups have disparate production result, but no one group is overall better than the other in producing lax-tense vowels. Mandarin and Cantonese participants only differ in the F2 of the [u:] production. Moreover, when gender is considered, Mandarin females can produce native-like [ʊ]; Cantonese males and females can produce native-like [I], Cantonese females native-like [i:] and Cantonese males native-like [u:]. This study confirms that dialect should be considered in transfer study, and further points out that both dialect and gender are significant variables of the transfer mechanism in foreign language acquisition.},
 year = {2022}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - The Influence of Dialect on the Perception and Production of Lax-Tense Vowel Distinction in English Learning
AU  - Jie Ji
AU  - Aitong Jiang
Y1  - 2022/03/18
PY  - 2022
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijll.20221002.16
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijll.20221002.16
T2  - International Journal of Language and Linguistics
JF  - International Journal of Language and Linguistics
JO  - International Journal of Language and Linguistics
SP  - 103
EP  - 110
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-0221
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijll.20221002.16
AB  - This acoustic experimental study investigates the influence of dialectal background on the perception and production of lax-tense vowel distinction in English learning from the theoretical standpoint of language transfer. Previous studies usually regard the first language as a source of transfer, with few considering the influence of dialect in the process of transfer, while this study has taken account of participants’ dialects and biological genders and look at whether and how Chinese dialectal knowledge is transferred in English learning. A perception and a production experiment are conducted with two groups of participants -- Cantonese Chinese speakers and Mandarin Chinese speakers -- to respectively analyze their perception and production strategy for English lax-tense vowel pairs [I]/[i:] and [ʊ]/[u:]. The study finds out that dialect and gender cause statistically significant difference. The result shows that Cantonese speakers can effectively leverage spectral cues to differentiate English tense vowels from lax vowels, while Mandarin speakers rely heavily on durational cues. The two lingual groups have disparate production result, but no one group is overall better than the other in producing lax-tense vowels. Mandarin and Cantonese participants only differ in the F2 of the [u:] production. Moreover, when gender is considered, Mandarin females can produce native-like [ʊ]; Cantonese males and females can produce native-like [I], Cantonese females native-like [i:] and Cantonese males native-like [u:]. This study confirms that dialect should be considered in transfer study, and further points out that both dialect and gender are significant variables of the transfer mechanism in foreign language acquisition.
VL  - 10
IS  - 2
ER  -

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