The Impact of Dialectal Differences on the Perception of Japanese Gemination: A Case Study of Cantonese Learners

Authors: Honghao Ren, Mariko Kondo

Abstract:

This study investigates the perceptual features of Japanese obstruent geminates among Chinese learners of Japanese, focusing on the dialectal effect of the checked-tone, a syllable that ends in a stop consonant or a glottal stop, which is similar to Japanese obstruent geminates phonetically. In this study, 41 native speakers of Cantonese are divided into two groups based on their proficiency as well as learning period of Japanese. All stimuli employed in this study are made into C[p,k,s]+V[a,e,i] structure such as /apa/, /eke/, /isi/. Both original sounds and synthesized sounds are used in three different parts of this study. The results of the present study show that the checked-tone does have the positive effect on the perception of Japanese gemination. Furthermore, the proportion of closure duration in the entire word would be a more reliable and appropriate criterion in testing this kind of task.

Keywords: Dialectal differences, Cantonese learners of Japanese, acoustic experiment, closure duration.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI): doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1474577

References:

[1] S. Amano, Y. Hirata, “Perception and Production of Singleton and Geminate Stops in Japanese: Implications for the Theory of Acoustic Invariance,” Phonetica, vol. 72, pp. 43–60, 2015.
[2] M. S. Han, “The timing control of geminate and single stop consonants in Japanese: a challenge for nonnative speakers,” Phonetica, vol. 49, pp. 102- 127, 1992.
[3] T. Toda, Second Language Speech Perception and Production: Acquisition of Phonological Contrasts in Japanese. Lanham, MD: University Press of America.
[4] N. Wang, “Chinese Dialects Which Encourage Acquisition of Japanese Phonetic Recognition for Chinese-speaking Learners,” Journal of the Phonetic Society of Japan, vol. 3 No.3, pp. 36- 42, 1999.
[5] W. Zhang, “The perception and production of Japanese gemination among Cantonese Learners: Focusing on the impact of checked-tone”, Waseda University, 2011.
[6] X. Li, “Articulation and Perception of Geminate Consonants by Cantonese Learners of Japanese,” Studies in Japanese Language and Culture. Osaka University, vol. 33, pp. 69-80, 2014.
[7] L. Zhang, Y. Liu, Y. Shi, “For Japanese Learners Whose Native Language Has Entering Tone, Is It Easier to Acquire Double Consonants: A Case Study of Native Cantonese Speakers,” The Society of Humanities. Osaka Prefecture University, vol. 33, pp. 191-201, 2015.
[8] K. Idemaru, S.G. Anderson, “Relational Timing in the Production and Perception of Japanese Singleton and Geminate Stops,” Phonetica, vol. 67, pp. 25-46, 2010.
[9] K. Idemaru, S. G. Anderson, “Acoustic covariants of length contrast in Japanese stops,” Journal of the International Phonetic Association, vol. 38 No.2, pp. 167–186, 2008.
[10] M. Sadakata, M. Shingai, S. Sulpizio, A. Brandmeyer, K. Sekiyama, “Language specific listening of Japanese geminate consonants: a cross-linguistic study,” Front Psychol, vol.5, pp.1422, 2014.
[11] D. M. Hardison, M. M. Saigo, “Development of perception of second language Japanese geminates: Role of duration, sonority, and segmentation strategy,” Applied Psycholinguistics, vol.32, pp. 81-99, 2010.
[12] H. Ren, “An experimental study of the influence of constriction duration on the perception of Japanese gemination among Chinese learners,” Journal of Japanese Language Study and Research, vol.1, pp. 55-63, 2017.
[13] R version 3.4.2: https://cran.r-project.org.