title: Computer game as a tool for training the identification of phonemic length.
abstract: Computer-assisted training of Finnish phonemic length was conducted with 7-year-old Russian-speaking second-language learners of Finnish. Phonemic length plays a different role in these two languages. The training included game activities with two- and three-syllable word and pseudo-word minimal pairs with prototypical vowel durations. The lowest accuracy scores were recorded for two-syllable words. Accuracy scores were higher for the minimal pairs with larger rather than smaller differences in duration. Accuracy scores were lower for long duration than for short duration. The ability to identify quantity degree was generalized to stimuli used in the identification test in two of the children. Ideas for improving the game are introduced.
authors.affiliation: Department of Languages, University of Jyväskylä , PO Box 35, 40014 University of Jyväskylä , Finland.
authors.forename: Riitta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pennala
authors.forename: Ulla
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Richardson
authors.forename: Sari
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ylinen
authors.forename: Heikki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lyytinen
authors.forename: Maisa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Martin
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019303:Multilingualism; D010700:Phonetics; D013067:Speech Perception; D013813:Therapy, Computer-Assisted; D018910:Video Games; D014825:Vocabulary
keywords: Computer-assisted training; Finnish; Russian; learning; perception; phonemic length; second language