Advances in the Investigation of L3 Speech Perception

Dear Colleagues,

Although research into third language (L3) phonetic and phonological acquisition has seen growing interest in the last decade (see e.g. Wrembel 2023 for a review), there is great paucity of perceptual studies in this area of multilingual research. As noted by Cabrelli Amaro (2010) more than ten years ago, this is rather unfortunate considering that the most influential second language (L2) speech learning models (SLM, Flege 1995, Flege & Bohn, 2021; PAM-L2, Best & Tyler 2007) predict the acquisition of non-native speech in relation to the learners’ perception of similarities and differences between the sounds of their languages. Our current understanding of the process of L3 speech learning is thus partial at best if primarily based on findings stemming from production studies.

The few empirical studies that have investigated (the development of) perceptual abilities by multilingual learners suggest a complex interaction between their native and non-native sound systems (Wrembel et al. 2019, Nelson 2020, Parrish 2022, Kędzierska et al. 2023). The process of multilingual speech perception seems to be feature-dependent and marked by great intra- and inter-individual variation (Wrembel et al. 2020, Gut at al. 2023), but more research including a diversity of language combinations and learner groups is needed to advance our understanding of the linguistic representation in the multilingual mind. In addition, there is no consensus on the most appropriate method of measuring segmental and suprasegmental perception in multilinguals as well as their perceived cross-linguistic phonetic similarity.

Thus, we welcome contributions that advance the field of L3 speech perception on topics that include (but are not limited to) the following: development in L3 learners’ segmental and suprasegmental perception, perceived cross-linguistic phonetic similarity and changes thereof overtime, the role of individual learner differences in the process of L3 speech perception, and methodologically-oriented contributions.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 400–600 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send it to the Guest Editors Romana Kopečková ([email protected]) and Anna Balas ([email protected]), and to the Languages editorial office ([email protected]) by 15 January 2024. Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors for the purposes of ensuring proper fit within the scope of this Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo a double-blind peer-review process.

Tentative completion schedule:
• Abstract submission deadline: 29 February 2024
• Notification of abstract acceptance: 1 March 2024
• Full manuscript deadline: 15 August 2024

References

Best, C. T., & Tyler, M. D. (2007). Nonnative and second-language speech perception: Commonalities and complementarities. In M. Munro, & O.-S. Bohn (Eds.), Language Experience in Second Language Speech Learning: In Honor of James Flege, (pp. 13-34). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.

Cabrelli Amaro, J. (2010). L3 phonology. An understudied domain. In J. Cabrelli Amaro, S. Flynn, & J. Rothman (Eds.), Third Language Acquisition in Adulthood, (pp. 33-60). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.

Flege, J. E. (1995). Second language speech learning: Theory, findings and problems. In W. Strange (Ed.), Speech Perception and Linguistic Experience, (pp. 233–277). Baltimore: York Press.

Flege, J. E., & Bohn, O.-S. (2021). The revised Speech Learning Model. In R. Wayland (Ed.), Second Language Speech Learning. Theoretical and Empirical Progress, (pp. 84–118). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Gut, U., Kopečková, R., & Nelson, C. (2023). Phonetics and Phonology in Multilingual Language Development. Elements in Phonetics, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Kędzierska, H., Rataj, K., Balas, A., & Wrembel, M. (2023). Vowel perception in multilingual speakers: ERP evidence from Polish, English and Norwegian. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1-12.

Nelson, C. (2020). The younger, the better? Speech perception development in adolescent vs. adult L3 learners. Yearbook of the Poznań Linguistic Meeting, 6(1), 27–58.

Parrish, K. (2022). The categorization of L3 vowels near first exposure by Spanish-English bilinguals. Languages, 7 (3), 226.

Wrembel, M. (2023). Exploring the acquisition of L3 phonology: Challenges, new insights, and future directions. In J. Cabrelli, A. Chaouch-Orozco, J. González Alonso, S. M. Pereira Soares, E. Puig-Mayenco, & J. Rothman (Eds.), The Cambridge Handbook of Third Language Acquisition, (pp. 115-141), Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Wrembel, M., Gut, U., Kopečková, R., & Balas, A. (2020). Cross-linguistic interactions in third-language acquisition: Evidence from multi-feature analysis of speech perception. Languages, 5(4), 52.

Wrembel, M., Marecka, M., & Kopečková, R. (2019). Extending perceptual assimilation model to L3 phonological acquisition. International Journal of Multilingualism, 16(4), 1-21.

Dr. Romana Kopečková
Prof. Dr. Anna Balas
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Languages is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• L3 perception
• cross-linguistic phonetic similarity
• L3 phonology
• multilingual