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Article published In: Journal of Second Language Pronunciation
Vol. 3:1 (2017) ► pp.9–33

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Utilizing electropalatography to train palatalized versus unpalatalized consonant productions by native speakers of American English learning Russian

 | University of Utah
Published online: 14 April 2017
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https://doi.org/10.1075/jslp.3.1.01hac
Previous research has shown that English-speaking learners of Russian, even those with advanced proficiency, often have not acquired the contrast between palatalized and unpalatalized consonants, which is a central feature of the Russian consonant system. The present study examined whether training utilizing electropalatography (EPG) could help a group of Russian learners achieve more native-like productions of this contrast. Although not all subjects showed significant improvements, on average, the Russian learners showed an increase from pre- to post-training in the second formant frequency of vowels preceding palatalized consonants, thus enhancing their contrast between palatalized and unpalatalized consonants. To determine whether these acoustic differences were associated with increased identification accuracy, three native Russian speakers listened to all pre- and post-training productions. A modest increase in identification accuracy was observed. These results suggest that even short-term EPG training can be an effective intervention with adult L2 learners.
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