this paper reports the results of an experimental study on non-native production of english vowels. two groups of persian efl learners varying in language proficiency were tested on their ability to produce the nine plain vowels of american english. vowel production accuracy was assessed by means of acoustic measurements. ladefoged and maddison’s (1996) f1 f2 measurements for american english v...

This study examines the effects of L1 tone experience and L2 learning experience on tone assimilation. It has been proposed that perceptual assimilation of segments is tied to L1 and L2 contrasts at the phonetic level for listeners without L2 experience [1] but at both phonetic and phonological levels for those with L2 experience [2]. In this examination of perceptual assimilation of lexical to...

Research on language-specific tuning in speech perception has focused mainly on consonants, while that on non-native vowel perception has failed to address whether the same principles apply. Therefore, non-native vowel perception was investigated here in light of relevant theoretical models: the Perceptual Assimilation Model (PAM) and the Natural Referent Vowel (NRV) framework. American-English...

In order to investigate listeners’ perceptual patterns regarding segments from an unfamiliar language, researchers commonly employ perceptual assimilation tasks. These tasks investigate the perceptual similarity of non-native sounds to L1 sounds, but do not provide information on the perceived similarity among non-native sounds. In order to examine how German vowels are perceived by naïve Ameri...

Contrast and assimilation are two opposite perceptual phenomena deriving from the relationships among perceptual elements in a visual field. In contrast, perceptual differences are enhanced; while, in assimilation, they are decreased. Indeed, if contrast or assimilation occurs depends on various factors. Interestingly, Gestalt scientists explained both phenomena as the result of perceptual belo...

We investigated the role of transparency, perceptual grouping, and presentation time on perceived lightness. Both transparency and perceptual grouping have been found to result in assimilation effects, but only for ambiguous stimulus displays and with specific attentional instructions. By varying the presentation times of displays with two partly overlapping transparent E-shaped objects, we mea...

The current study investigates how non-native tones are perceived by speakers whose own native language has fewer tones. The analysis is presented within a Perceptual Assimilation Model—Supra-segmental (PAM-S) framework [16]. The results are consistent with PAM-S predictions and indicate both phonetic and phonological assimilation of Cantonese tones by

Opposing views have emerged in phonological and phonetic theory on whether perceptual place assimilation is exclusively attributable to gestural reduction or can be triggered by gestural overlap as well. Specifically, regressive place assimilation in Korean /pk/ clusters has been used as argument for the hypothesis that gestural reduction is uniquely responsible for perceptual place assimilatio...

Opposing views have emerged in phonological and phonetic theory on whether perceptual place assimilation is exclusively attributable to gestural reduction or can be triggered by gestural overlap as well. Specifically, regressive place assimilation in Korean /pk/ clusters has been used as argument for the hypothesis that gestural reduction is uniquely responsible for perceptual place assimilatio...

We present data from an EPG experiment on German fricative assimilation. It has been claimed that fricative sequences other than sibilant clusters do not assimilate due to perceptual constraints. We demonstrate that f#sibilant sequences show in principle the same kind of temporal overlap as sibilant clusters do, but due to the labial constriction dominating the acoustics, this temporal overlap ...