A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Children learning a foreign vowel contrast - The effects of passive auditory exposure on L2 category perception
Authors: Katja Immonen, Maija S. Peltola
Publisher: Latvian Language Institute of the University of Latvia
Publication year: 2017
Journal: Linguistica Lettica
Journal acronym: LL
Volume: 25
First page : 385
Last page: 400
Number of pages: 16
Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/27822671(external)
The aim of this
study was to determine how passive auditory exposure to an L2 vowel category
affects 7-12 year-old Finnish children’s attentive and pre-attentive vowel
perception. The subjects listened passively to different variants of the
Swedish vowel /ʉ/ on two consecutive days, one hour per day. The effects
of the training were monitored with behavioral tasks (discrimination and reaction
time) and EEG recordings. The MMN results obtained with the EEG showed that the
younger (7-8 yo) and older (9-12 yo) subjects processed the stimuli
differently. An MMN was elicited in the older subjects for the L2 prototype vs.
non-prototype contrast after the training, while no MMN responses emerged in
the other group. Language awareness and experience might explain the difference
in processing between the two age groups.
