Language attitudes and listener-oriented properties in non-native speech

Language attitudes and listener-oriented properties in non-native speech

Dmitrieva, Olga; Ling, Wai; Law, Mengxi Lin; Wang, Yuanyuan; Conklin, Jenna; Kentner, Ashley, 2015, The Scottish Consortium for ICPhS

Abstract:

The study examines a number of acoustic properties of non-native speech directed to a native speaker, a non-native speaker with a shared first language background, and a non-native speaker with a different first language. Results demonstrate that the interlocutor condition interacts with the language attitudes factor: Participants with more positive attitudes towards their second language (English) differ along several acoustic dimensions from participants with more positive attitudes towards their first language (Mandarin), especially when interacting with native speakers of English. Expanded vowel space, higher articulation rate, and increased pitch adopted by English-oriented participants in interactions with native speakers of English may be indicative of their greater positive emotional involvement in the interaction.

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