Phonetic Convergence after Perceptual Exposure to Native and Nonnative Speech: Preliminary Findings Based on Fine-grained Acoustic-Phonetic Measurement

This study investigates phonetic convergence by native English speakers after exposure to speech by a native or a nonnative speaker of English. Participants 1) read two word sets, 2) were exposed to one of the word sets either through auditory (experimental group 1 & 2) or visual inputs (control groups 1 & 2), and 3) read both word sets again. Preliminary results showed a tendency for participants to converge towards nonnative models but not towards native models, and to show no specificity of phonetic convergence patterns between the word sets they heard and the word sets did not hear.