The effects first language use phonological difficulty perception foreign accented speech [sic]

Abstract

Listener perception of accentedness has been shown to be influenced by experience with L2 (measured by length of residence in US). However, frequency of L1 use and degree of phonological complexity (defined by the number of non-native phonetic features targeted) may provide more insight into the role of experience in the perception of accentedness.Three groups of listeners (monolingual English and Spanish [L1] speakers divided into two groups of high and low use of English [L2]) rated the accentedness of bilingual speakers who spoke with varying degrees of accentedness. The speakers read sentences adapted from Magan (1998) to include phonological aspects likely to be difficult for native Spanish speakers.Listeners performed similarly in rating speakers degree of accent