Comparative study of focal lengthening in the speech of native speakers and Japanese speakers of English

Acoustical Science and Technology

Yoshiaki Itoh²  Tomoko Nariai¹  Kazuyo Tanaka¹ 

[1] Graduate School of Library, Information and Media Studies, University of Tsukuba;Faculty of Software and Information Science, Iwate Prefectural University

关键词: Prominence;    Second language learning;    Phrase-final lengthening;    Speech analysis;   

DOI  :  10.1250/ast.32.54

学科分类：声学和超声波

来源: Acoustical Society of Japan

【 摘 要 】

References(30)A study on word duration in English sentences uttered by native speakers of Japanese is conducted, in which the difference in focus between the English and Japanese languages is taken into account. The durations of Japanese speakers are compared with those of English speakers in regard to a percentage distribution of an individual word relative to all words in a sentence. The results of statistical analysis reveal that defects of focus, which are shorter for English speakers, occur on nouns and on words at the ends of sentences in Japanese speakers. The former result suggests that English speakers put focus on nouns, whereas Japanese speakers tend not to have the same rhythm as English speakers. The latter result suggests that phrase-final lengthening is insufficient in Japanese speakers. Also, these results can be explained by the difference in focus between English and Japanese. Additionally, a correlation is recognized between the defects in focus and the English proficiency of Japanese speakers.

【 授权许可】

Unknown