Factors Influencing Non-Native Perception and Learning

Abstract

Learning a second language is a complex task, requiring acquisition of syntactic structure, lexical items, and phonological structure, among other things. Speech perception and learning phonological categories are notoriously difficult for non-native speakers because sensitivity to non-native contrasts by adult listeners is typically quite poor. Previous research has hypothesized that a relationship between the structure of the first and second languages predicts perception and acquisition of contrasts in the second language.  My research examines a number of other factors that may influence perception and learning of non-native contrasts.  The work I will present addresses several factors including: the relationship between perception and production during learning and how this relationship might shift both over time and across contrasts, the role of variability during training, and the role of active vs. passive exposures during training. I will discuss the implications of the results of these studies for our understanding of speech perception and production more broadly.

About Melissa Baese-Berk

Melissa Baese-Berk is an Associate Professor at the University of Oregon. She is the director of the Speech Perception and Production Lab. Her research program focuses on several research themes, including the interaction between speech perception and production during second language learning, neural mechanisms underlying second language learning, and variability in speech production and perception.