The acquisition of a second language (L2) may be challenging in adulthood, as the phonological system of the native language (L1) can sometimes limit the perception of phonological contrasts in L2. The present study aimed to (a) examine the influence of an L1 (Hebrew) that lacks a phonemic contrast for vowel length on the ability to discriminate…

Early conceptions of aptitude were concerned with explicit learning abilities in formal learning settings, which according to MLAT (Modern Language Aptitude Test) were measurable based on a phonemic coding ability, an inductive learning ability, an associative memory, and a grammatical sensitivity (Carroll, 1962). However, recent understanding on…

This paper aims to focus, to bring the existing misperception of the letters "p" and "b" in panoramic view, to make the readers understand that there is nothing defective on the side of the speakers in comprehending the sounds of the letters /p/ and /b/ when they listen to, alike other phonemic sounds. Further, it is to…

This study examines relative weighting of two acoustic cues, vowel duration and spectra, in the perception of high front vowels by Japanese learners of English. Studies found that Japanese speakers rely heavily on duration to distinguish /i?/ and [character omitted] in American English (AmE) as influenced by phonemic length in Japanese /ii/ and…

Argues that the phoneme is a meaning-bearing unit--not a sound--and must be used in conjunction with semantic and syntactic information. (AEW)

The purpose of this textbook is to establish a satisfactory technique for discovering the pertinent units of sound in any language and organizing them into an alphabet system. The first part of the book deals with the analysis and production of phonetic units. The second and major part of the book is devoted to the analysis and description of…

This article first gives the definition of "phonology" most widely accepted today, and then illustrates briefly the role that phonology has had in the works of European and American linguists, such as De Saussure, Trubetckoj, Sapir, Bloomfield, H. Sweet, D. Jones, O. Jesperson, K. Pike, Trager and Smith, and N. Chomsky. (CFM)

Based on a paper presented at the Fourth Annual Meeting of the Societas Linguistica Europaea on October 9, 1970, in Prague, Czechoslovakia. (RS)

The phonemic effects of word length, consonant-vowel structure, syllable structure, and meaning on word segmentation were investigated in two experiments with young children. The decentration hypothesis, which predicts that children who habitually direct their attention to word meaning would concentrate better at analyzing a spoken form without…

Discusses the characterization of contrast within a grammatical theory. (VM)

A universal separation of speech and language is described by the use of one mathematical frame of reference. Also described are the accruing new comparisons and measurements made possible by a theoretically adequate separation of speech and language. (Author/RM)

This article examines the description of the Italian double consonants and to propose a solution within the structuralist analytical framework by taking into account all available synchronic and diachronic data. The pedagogical implications of the theoretical solution are examined. (CFM)

Phonemic phonology became important because it provided a descriptive account of dialects and languages that had never been transcribed before, and it derives its greatest strength from its practical orientation, which has proved beneficial to language teaching and learning. Noam Chomsky's criticisms of it are largely unjust because he has not…

This paper discusses the problem of drawing a boundary between morpholexical and morphophonemic phenomena within a generative model of phonology. Criteria for classifying alternations are set down and rules are examined in light of these criteria. (CHK)

Presents arguments to disprove the thesis that "the phoneme is a bundle of distinctive features." (RM)