The Role of plosive codas: recognition and perception by Lithuanian learners of English

ENThis chapter investigates the role of voicing in English plosives in the coda position. Two tests were used to investigate this role from different perspectives: recognition and perception. Though vowel sounds are typically described according to three main factors (the front-back and high-low dimensions, and the lip aperture type), many languages, including English, distinguish a variable of duration. A direct correlation between vowel length and its phonological context has been reported in linguistic literature. The participants were 78 Lithuanian learners of English pursuing undergraduate degrees at a university in Lithuania. The recognition test aimed at addressing the phenomenon known as voicing effect in one-syllable CVC words with a plosive coda. English plosives, though perceived as voiced, are devoiced in final position. This might cause problems for Lithuanian learners of English since the correlation mark of the Lithuanian plosives is voicing. Using a variationist approach, the perception test aimed at checking the role of the English variety (British English or American English), the force of articulation, and the preceding phonological context on the perception of post-vocalic plosives. The findings indicate the Lithuanian learners’ low awareness of vowel length dependence on its context, and different roles played by the studied variables. Keywords: Lithuanian learners, Voicing effect, Plosive codas, English varieties. [From the publication]

• Kalbotyra / Linguistics
• Edukologija / Education