On the influence of L1 on the L2 perception: The case of tenseness contrast in American vowels.

This slideshow is available at the LINGUIST List Multimedia page: http://linguistlist.org/multimedia/in...

At the Institute for Language Information and Technology, Dr. Małgosia Ćavar presented the results of a series of experiments pertaining to the perception of the English vocalic contrast in high vowels by learners with different L1 backgrounds. The goal of this and similar studies was to determine how perceptual strategies of L2 learners differ from those of English native speakers and what these differences depended on. In the long run, the aim is to predict "customized" areas of difficulty for learners with different backgrounds and to help develop curricula and teaching aids that would actually respond to learners' needs.

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