Open AccessSyllable Structure Effects in Word Recognition by Spanish- and German-Speaking Second Language Learners of English
Author(s) -
María Teresa Martínez-García
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
atlantis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.158
H-Index - 10
eISSN - 1989-6840
pISSN - 0210-6124
DOI - 10.28914/atlantis-2021-43.2.01
Subject(s) - german , syllable , linguistics , perception , similarity (geometry) , word (group theory) , psychology , consonant , affect (linguistics) , first language , word recognition , vowel , computer science , artificial intelligence , communication , philosophy , reading (process) , neuroscience , image (mathematics)
Previous findings in the literature point to the influence that speech perception has on word recognition. However, which specific aspects of the first (L1) and second language (L2) mapping play the most important role is still not fully understood. This study explores whether, and if so, how, L1-L2 syllable-structure differences affect word recognition. Spanish- and German-speaking English learners completed an AXB and a word-monitoring task in English that manipulated the presence of a vowel in words with /s/-initial consonant clusters—e.g., especially versus specially. The results show a clear effect of L1 on L2 learners’ perception and word recognition, with the German group outperforming the Spanish one. These results indicate that the similarity in the syllable structure between English and German fosters positive transfer in both perception and word recognition despite the inexact segmental mapping.