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11 - Speech Perception

from Part II - The Spanish Sound System

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 August 2018

Kimberly L. Geeslin
Affiliation:
Indiana University
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Summary

This chapter provides an overview of the field of speech perception with a focus on the perception of Spanish sounds by native and non-native listeners. The most prominent models of speech perception are discussed, and experimental techniques commonly used in speech perception are described. Next, we outline what is known about how a listener’s first language (L1) (i.e., Spanish) is processed, starting with infants’ perception of sounds and then moving on to the perception of L1 sounds by adults, with a focus on the perception of consonants, vowels, and prosody by both groups. Because studies have found that infants as young as six months of age are able to distinguish speech sounds that do not exist in their mother tongue, it is important to differentiate infant and adult perception of L1 sounds. Afterwards, we describe research on the perception of sounds by bilingual listeners, including simultaneous bilinguals, second language (L2) learners, and heritage speakers of Spanish. Information is also provided on studies that investigate how to improve L2 speech perception. We conclude by focusing on the future direction of Spanish speech perception, with the hopes that more researchers will join this field.
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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2018

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