Effects of age of learning on VOT in voiceless stops produced by near-native L2 speakers

This study is concerned with effects of age of onset (AO) of acquisition on the production of Voice Onset Time (VOT) among near-native L2 speakers. 41 L1 Spanish early and late learners of L2 Swedish, who had carefully been screened for their “nativelike” L2-proficiency, participated in the study. 8 native speakers of Swedish served as control group. Spectral analyses of VOT were carried out on the subjects’ production of the Swedish voiceless stops /p t k/. The preliminary results show an overall age effect on VOT in the nativelike L2 speakers’ production of all three stops (answer to Research Question 1). Among the late learners only a small minority exhibits actual nativelike L2 behavior (answer to Research Question 2). Finally, far from all early L2 speakers do pass as native speakers of their L2 regarding the production of voiceless stops (answer to Research Question 3).