Presentation

The Role of Duration in Japanese Speakers’ Productions of English Vowels

---

Abstract

Japanese uses length as a primary acoustic cue to distinguish some pairs of vowels, whereas North American English varieties rely mainly on spectral differences. While many studies investigating Japanese learners’ acquisition of English vowels have examined acoustic features, only a handful have focused in detail on durational patterns. This study adds to the latter body of research by investigating the carry-over of Japanese durational features into English. To this end, native Japanese and Canadian English speakers’ productions of CVC words were elicited using a picture-naming task. A comparison of duration data for /i/, /ɪ/, /u/, /ʊ/ in three pre-consonantal contexts (/k/, /t/, /d/) revealed that the Japanese speakers’ tense vowels were significantly longer than their lax counterparts regardless of the following consonant, while the native English speakers generally did not show such a pattern. The Japanese speakers furthermore displayed native-like lengthening of vowels before a voiced stop. Nonetheless, contrary to hypothesis, an assessment by native English listeners yielded no evidence that the exaggeration of durational differences for tense/lax contrasts adversely affected vowel intelligibility.

How to Cite:

de Weers, N. & Munro, M. J., (2017) “The Role of Duration in Japanese Speakers’ Productions of English Vowels”, Pronunciation in Second Language Learning and Teaching Proceedings 9(1).