Does training in speech perception modify speech production?

To examine the relationship between speech perception and production in second language acquisition, this study investigated whether training in the perception domain transfers to improvement in the production domain. Native speakers of Japanese were trained to identify English /r/-/l/ minimal pairs. Recordings were made of the subjects’ productions of minimal pairs before and after identification training. American-English listeners then perceptually evaluated these productions. The subjects showed significant improvements from pretest to post-test in perception as well as in production. Furthermore, the subjects retained these abilities in follow-up tests given three months and six months after the conclusion of training. These results demonstrate that training in the perception domain produces long-term modifications in both perception and production, implying a close link between speech perception and production.