A Cross-Language Comparison of Length Perception in Italian-Learning Adults
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21358073 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Andrea Pešková (0000-0001-6077-9034, Freie Universität Berlin, corresponding author), Kateřina Chládková (0000-0003-2009-1897, Charles University, Czech Republic) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 238309261440514-238309261440514 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-28 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Language and Speech (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0023-8309 • E-ISSN: 1756-6053 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/00238309261440514 |
| PMID | 42210705 |
| OpenAlex | W7162756403 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 94 |
This study investigates how adult learners perceive segmental length in L2 Italian. We tested 104 learners from 5 L1 backgrounds that differ in their phonological treatment of quantity: Finnish (vowel and consonant length), Czech and Slovak (vowel length), German (restricted vowel length), and Spanish (no phonemic length). These groups were compared with 34 native speakers of Italian, a language with distinctive consonant length (e.g., papa ‘Pope’ vs. pappa ‘porridge’). Using an AX discrimination task with 45 pseudowords, we examined the influence of L1, stress position, consonant type, and proficiency. The results reveal that L1 strongly predicts perceptual sensitivity to consonantal length contrasts: Finnish learners showed the highest sensitivity, followed by Slovak, Czech, German, and Spanish learners. Discrimination of vowel-length contrasts was weaker across all groups and showed more variation, likely because in Italian, vowel duration does not cue phoneme identity. Stress position also played a significant role: discrimination of consonantal quantity contrasts was most robust in post- and pre-stressed syllables and weakest in unstressed contexts. Consonant type further influenced performance, with quantity being easier to discriminate in sonorants than in obstruents, although L1-specific effects emerged. Proficiency did not emerge as a uniform global predictor, but descriptive patterns indicated higher performance among advanced learners than among beginner-level and intermediate-level learners. Overall, the multifactorial analysis highlights the role of L1 in shaping learners’ perception of L2 length, alongside prosodic effects, segmental properties, and proficiency. The study also underscores the importance of perceptual training in acquiring new phonological contrasts
Consonant · Czech · German · Perception · Phonetics · Phonology · Stress (linguistics) · Vowel · Language Development and Disorders · Neuroscience and Music Perception · Phonetics and Phonology Research
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Pronunciation Fundamentals
Bridging the Gap Between L2 Speech Perception Research and Phonological Theory
Ggeffects
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Relationship of Vowel Length and Quality in the Perception of German Vowels
The Role of Perception in the Typology of Geminate Consonants
Gemination in Northern versus Central and Southern Varieties of Italian
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The influence of L1 on the acquisition of Swedish quantity by native speakers of Spanish, English and Estonian
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Contextual effects on the perception of duration
Effects of experience on non-native speakers' production and perception of English vowels
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The Integration of Foreign Loans in the Phonology of Italian
Russian
Czech spoken in Bohemia and Moravia
Slovak
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Hindi
Catalan
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |