The present study investigates whether phonetic lessons enable improvement of adult L2 perception and whether 2) L2 perceptual learning in the classroom setting can be explained by the Second Language Linguistic Perception (L2LP) model (Escudero, 2005). Salento Italian (SI) listeners' initial state of perception of American English (AE) vowels was examined. SI listeners performed cross‐ languag...

Native language experience strongly influences non-native speech discrimination. According to the Perceptual Assimilation Model (PAM) [1], discrimination is most accurate when two non-native sounds map onto different native phonemes (Two-Category assimilation), poorer when they differ in goodness-of-fit to the same native phoneme (Category-Goodness assimilation), and worst when perceived as equ...

We investigated how spoken words are recognized when they have been altered by phonological assimilation. Previous research has shown that there is a process of perceptual compensation for phonological assimilations. Three recently formulated proposals regarding the mechanisms for compensation for assimilation make different predictions with regard to the level at which compensation is supposed...

Sequential categorization of perceptual stimuli typically shows contrast from one trial to the next. Using familiar categories of animals and faces, contrast effects were dissociated from assimilation effects. Two independent main effects were observed: contrast to the preceding stimulus, and assimilation to the previous response. It is argued that contrast and assimilation may reflect differen...

This study explored the relation between the identification of non-native consonants and the perceptual assimilation of non-native consonants to native categories. In Experiment 1, native Danish listeners identified 20 initial English consonants in terms of Danish categories, and then rated the goodness of fit of these matches. The results of this perceptual assimilation experiment were used to...

Two groups of Chinese listeners with different English experience participated in an English to Chinese consonant assimilation experiment and an English consonant identification experiment. The results show that listeners with high English experience had a more concentrated assimilation pattern than low experience listeners. However, the goodness ratings did not differ much between the two grou...