title: Word Durations in Non-Native English.
abstract: In this study, we compare the effects of English lexical features on word duration for native and non-native English speakers and for non-native speakers with different L1s and a range of L2 experience. We also examine whether non-native word durations lead to judgments of a stronger foreign accent. We measured word durations in English paragraphs read by 12 American English (AE), 20 Korean, and 20 Chinese speakers. We also had AE listeners rate the `accentedness' of these non-native speakers. AE speech had shorter durations, greater within-speaker word duration variance, greater reduction of function words, and less between-speaker variance than non-native speech. However, both AE and non-native speakers showed sensitivity to lexical predictability by reducing second mentions and high frequency words. Non-native speakers with more native-like word durations, greater within-speaker word duration variance, and greater function word reduction were perceived as less accented. Overall, these findings identify word duration as an important and complex feature of foreign-accented English.
authors.affiliation: EF Education First 22 Chelsea Manor Street London SW3 5RL England, U.K.
authors.forename: Rachel E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Baker
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Baese-Berk
authors.forename: Laurent
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bonnasse-Gahot
authors.forename: Midam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Kristin J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Van Engen
authors.forename: Ann R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Bradlow