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Mastering Voice Onset Time (VOT) in Second Language (L2) Learning: The Role of Cognition, Perception, and Experience in Achieving Native-Like Proficiency.

12 November 2024, Version 1

Abstract

Voice Onset Time (VOT), the interval between the release of a stop consonant and the onset of voicing, varies across languages. English voiced stops have short positive VOT, while voiceless stops exhibit long positive VOT (aspiration). In contrast, Polish voiced stops (/b, d, g/) have negative VOT, and voiceless stops (/p, t, k/) have short positive VOT. This discrepancy challenges Polish learners of English, who often produce English /b, d, g/ with negative VOT and /p, t, k/ without aspiration, reducing intelligibility. Although the usage-based approach suggests that extensive L2 exposure enhances phonetic features, achieving native-like proficiency has been proposed to be influenced by aptitude-related factors. This study examined how proficiency, perceptual abilities (e.g., spectral and temporal acuity), cognitive abilities (e.g., selective attention, phonological short-term memory, procedural and declarative memory), and experiential factors (i.e., Length of Residence [LoR], Age of Acquisition [AoA], Age) influence L2 VOT acquisition among Polish learners of English in the UK (LoR > 5 years). Sixty-five Polish L2 English learners (33 intermediate, 32 advanced) and 25 Standard Southern British English speakers read one-syllable English words with initial voiced and voiceless stops, analyzed using Praat. Cognitive and perceptual abilities were assessed through five behavioural tests. Language proficiency alone did not account for higher VOT accuracy. Linear mixed-effects modelling revealed that cognitive and perceptual abilities, particularly temporal acuity, strongly predicted L2 VOT accuracy for intermediate and advanced learners. Procedural memory and selective attention significantly impacted advanced learners. While LoR positively influenced VOT accuracy, cognitive factors were more critical.

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