L2 effects on the perception and production of a native vowel contrast in early bilinguals

• Published in: The international journal of bilingualism : cross-disciplinary, cross-linguistic studies of language behavior Vol. 16; no. 4; pp. 484 - 500
• Main Authors: Mora, Joan C., Nadeu, Marianna
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01-12-2012; Sage Publications Ltd. (UK); Sage Publications Ltd
• Subjects: Accuracy; Asymmetry; Bilingualism; Brain research; Catalan language; Cognition & reasoning; Discrimination tasks; Language acquisition; Language contact; Learning Processes; Linguistics; Neurosciences; Perceptions; Phonetics; Phonology; Social aspects; Speech production; Vowels; Young Children; Spain; L2 experience; early bilingualism; Cognates; vowel perception/production
• ISSN: 1367-0069; 1756-6878
• DOI: 10.1177/1367006911429518

This study investigates the effect of L2 (Spanish) use on Catalan–Spanish bilinguals’ ability to accurately perceive and produce two contrastive native Catalan vowel categories, /e/ and /ε/. Participants were L1 Catalan highly proficient Catalan–Spanish bilinguals differing in amount of daily exposure/use of Catalan (low: 40%–70% vs. high: 80%–100%). Perceptual accuracy was assessed through speeded categorization and AXB discrimination tasks based on a 10-step vowel continuum (/e/–/ε/). Production accuracy was assessed by eliciting /ε/ tokens in Catalan cognate and noncognate words. The results indicated that participants using Spanish more frequently discriminated Catalan vowels /e/ and /ε/ less accurately and significantly more slowly and had a more Spanish-like acoustic target in the production of Catalan /ε/, particularly in cognate words. These results are consistent with the view that, in a language contact context, extensive L2 experience affects L1 sound categories.