ISCA Archive ICSLP 2002
ISCA Archive ICSLP 2002

Effects of production training with visual feedback on the acquisition of Japanese pitch and durational contrasts

Yukari Hirata

This study examined the effects of production training with visual feedback on second language (L2) learnersÂ’ production and perception development. Native speakers of English learning intermediate Japanese practiced producing words and sentences with the CSLPitch Program, during which time they tried to match the pitch and durational contours of their own production to those of the models on the computer screen. Their abilities to produce and perceive novel words and sentences including both pitch and durational contrasts were tested in citation and sentence contexts, and were compared to those of a control group. The results indicated that (1) this production training helped the trained subjects to both produce and perceive the pitch and durational contrasts, and that (2) the trained subjectsÂ’ abilities in the two domains were greatly enhanced in the sentence context as well as in the citation context.