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Above and Beyond the Segments: Experimental linguistics and phonetics
Edited by Johanneke Caspers, Yiya Chen, Willemijn Heeren, Jos Pacilly, Niels O. Schiller and Ellen van Zanten
[Not in series 189] 2014
► pp. 288–301

The acoustics of English vowels in the speech of Dutch learners before and after pronunciation training

Amongst all second-language skills, pronunciation seems to be in a league of its own. It is difficult to teach and acquire as it is a highly intuitive and physiological skill. This research describes the successes of pronunciation training, specifically related to Dutch learners of English. Acoustic measurements were done on selected vowels. The F1 and F2 values – showing degree of vowel openness and front/back-ness, respectively – before and after training showed that an individual learner’s progress in the production of one vowel does not necessarily imply equal success in another. Types of learners could be distinguished; while most learners improved, others stagnated or regressed. The results suggest that Dutch learners should focus more on vowel openness than on front/back-ness.

Published online: 10 December 2014
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/z.189.23sma
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Cited by

Cited by 1 other publications

Smakman, Dick & Thomas De France
2015. Pronunciation Acquisition Patterns of Learners with Different Starting Levels. Research in Language 13:2 ► pp. 214 ff. DOI logo

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