Emi Sakamoto
The purpose of this study is to investigate how L2 perception and production abilities are developed in the course of L2 phonological acquisition. I am focusing on the question of how the L2 development of speech perception and production are related to each other and how that relationship may change as learners gain more experience in the target language. The dominant view on L2 speech is that accurate L2 perception ability is a necessary condition for accurate L2 production ability. Nevertheless, this view has been challenged by several researchers who have demonstrated that learners can produce the difference between two L2 sounds that they cannot perceive (e.g., Goto 1971; Sheldon & Strange 1982). The mixed results of these studies suggest that the relationship between perception and production in L2 speech is not uniform and constant but may vary due to the type of contrast and the stage of development. I am currently exploring ways to investigate these issues by focusing on the development of durational contrast and lexical pitch accent in L2 Japanese. In this presentation I will discuss some preliminary findings and avenues for further research.