Acquisition of English Soun[dz] by Native Japanese Speakers

Individuals learning a second language may experience§difficulties in perceiving sounds that are unfamiliar§to them. Crucially, some sounds may be problematic§even if they are used in the native language of the§learners. For example, Japanese learners of English§generally experience difficulties in distinguishing a§word like rose from roads , even though both§sounds - [d] and [z] - occur in Japanese. Thus, a§simple comparison of segment inventories between§one's first and target language is insufficient to§predict the impediments encountered by adult second§language learners. The present study investigates§whether a phonological approach that compares§inventories of features rather than segments can§provide a better account of these difficulties. The§results of an experiment evaluating the perception of§16 English sound contrasts by native Japanese§speakers suggest that in addition to featural§differences, the role of phonotactics and acoustic§correlates cannot be ignored. Results of this§research have important implications for theories of§language perception and acquisition, and should be§useful to anyone interested in language processing or§language teaching.