Perceptual Training for Learning English Vowels

Second language (L2) learners often have difficulties with perception and production of L2 speech sounds. This study investigated the effects of computer-based perceptual training on the perception and production of English vowel contrasts. Sixteen adult Mandarin and Cantonese speakers were trained to identify English /i/-/I/, /u/-/U/, and /e/-/ae/ contrasts for two months. The training stimuli consisted of synthetic and natural utterances, presented in a graded fashion. In comparison with an untrained control group, trainees showed improved perceptual performance, transferred their knowledge to new contexts, and maintained their improvement three months after training. Trainees? Modest improvement in production of the target vowels suggests that perceptual training only may not be sufficient for significant improvement in production. Future studies may explore simultaneous production and perceptual training paradigms. The outcome of this work has relevance to theoretical issues in L2 speech learning and the relationship between L2 speech perception and production. The findings also support the feasibility of computer-based programs for L2 pronunciation instruction