SPEECH PRODUCTION AND SOCIOLINGUISTIC PERCEPTION IN A 'NON-NATIVE' SECOND LANGUAGE CONTEXT: A SOCIOPHONETIC STUDY OF KOREAN LEARNERS OF ENGLISH IN THE PHILIPPINES

Abstract

This thesis presents perhaps the first study that analyzes sociophonetic variation in second language acquisition in the Philippines. In this study, I attempt to advance research by studying L1 Korean and L2 English speech production patterns and sociolinguistic perceptions of Philippine English (PhilE) among Korean learners of English.

The present analysis of variation in L1 and L2 speech production focuses on two acoustic features: Voice Onset Time (VOT) and Fundamental Frequency at the onset of the following vowel (f0 onset). Results reveal that the learners categorically assimilate phonetic features of the PhilE stop system; exhibit L1-to-L2 interference; and produce dissimilatory phonetic drift patterns in their L1, indicating bi-directional sound change and development.

The study also reveals that Korean students increasingly show more neutral-to-positive attitudes towards PhilE as a medium of learning and instruction (cf. Castro & Roh, 2013; Roh, 2010), even though they remain reluctant to acquire PhilE accent features in their L2.