Learning non-native phonotactic constraints over the web

Although it is well known that a listener’s linguistic experience influences their perception of non-native speech sounds, many researchers have access to a limited range of listener populations. Building on recent work, we examined if this issue could be addressed by conducting non-native speech perception experiments over the internet. We developed a web-based version of an implicit learning paradigm that exposes participants to novel phonotactic constraints. We found that native English listeners could acquire novel constraints based on both nativeand non-native language auditory stimuli. Critically, the degree of success in learning non-native patterns reflected the relationship between the nativeand non-native sound systems. This suggests that web-based experimentation is a viable means of examining nonnative speech perception, creating opportunities to test a wider array of participant populations.