SLA Phon and FTFA Quiz Answers

What does the PAM notion of ‘category goodness’ refer to?

One non-native sound is a better exemplar of the native category than the other 

What does Category-Goodness Difference predict about discrimination in PAM? 

Discrimination remains possible because one sound is a better exemplar of the native category 

Which of the following scenarios would likely lead to easy discrimination under PAM? 

Two non-native sounds map to different native categories (opposing-category assimilation) 

If a non-native sound is not assimilable to any native category, what guides perception according to PAM? 

Acoustic cues and articulatory cues become primary sources of information 

What is a key outcome of Single-Category Assimilation in PAM? 

Two non-native sounds are perceived as the same native sound 

According to PAM, what happens when two non-native sounds map onto the same L1 category? 

Discrimination between the two sounds becomes very difficult 

What is meant by Nonassimilation in PAM? 

Neither non-native sound maps well onto any native category 

Nonassimilation only occurs for vowels, not consonants 

false

According to hypothesis 3 of the SLM, the more similar two sounds are to an existing sound category in the L1, the easier it is to learn. 

false

According to the SLM, both the L1 and L2 share the same space in the brain, so they are not completely separate, and they interact. 

true

What does SLM predict about when a learner knows a sound is “fully learned”? 

A sound is fully learned when the learner creates a new phonetic category for it. This requires discerning the subtle phonetic differences between the L2 sound and the closest L1 sound. Once this distinct category is established, it serves as an accurate perceptual target that guides the learner's production to match native-like properties.

According to SLM, why is it often hard to sound like a native speaker in an L2 especially for vowels and consonants? 

Because of equivalence classification. Your brain identifies a "similar" L2 sound as a version of an existing L1 sound and "filters" it into that old category. Since you don't perceive the subtle differences, you never create a new phonetic category and continue using L1 production habits. "New" sounds are different enough to escape this filter, forcing the brain to create a dedicated category from scratch

What does Hypothesis 1 (you compare sounds based on real pronunciation, not abstract categories ) propose about learners' perception of L2 sounds? 

They compare sounds based on real pronunciation depending on the position in the word

According to Hypothesis 6 of SLM, what does "you are not two separate monolinguals" mean? 

L1 and L2 sounds exist in a common phonological space and actively influence one another.

What does Hypothesis 5 (Equivalence classification) predict about L2 sounds that are similar to L1 sounds? 

Learners may treat the L2 sound as the same as the L1 sound and not form a separate category.

Which statement best captures Hypothesis 7 about what you hear affecting how you speak? 

The production of a sound eventually corresponds to the properties represented in its phonetic category representation

According to Hypothesis 4 of the SLM, "age matters for hearing differences", how does age factor into hearing differences? 

Younger learners are better at noticing small differences in sounds

Why does SLM emphasize context (position in the word) when comparing sounds? 

Because the same phoneme can sound different depending on its phonetic environment, affecting learning. 

What does the Speech Learning Model (SLM) primarily study in second language acquisition? 

It studies people who have used an L2 for
many years
• (not beginners)
It looks at the final outcome of learning
•Focuses on:
• How we hear sounds (perception)
• How we produce sounds
(pronunciation)
•Also considers:
• Physical limits (like what sounds are
easy to pronounce)

Which statement aligns with Hypothesis 3 of SLM? 

The greater the perceived phonetic dissimilarity between an L2 sound and the closest L1 sound, the more likely it is that phonetic differences between the sounds will be discerned

What must learners notice according to Hypothesis 2 of the SLM so that they can learn a new sound? 

A perceivable difference between the L2 sound and existing sounds in L1.

In the Thai sound example, why is the voiceless unaspirated bilabial in the middle not treated as a separate sound by English listeners? 

The sounds in the middle are sounds that don’t exist in English 

What are the two primary approaches for explaining second language phonology? 

1. Cognitive/Psycholinguistic: Focuses on mental representations, L1 interference, and perceptual categorization (e.g., SLM, PAM).

2. Sociolinguistic: Focuses on language use, social identity, and how environmental factors influence pronunciation.

What happens to infants’ ability to distinguish non-native sounds as they age, according to the study described? 

They lose the ability to distinguish non-native contrasts over time

Why is categorical perception important for understanding a learner’s ability to understand syllables (segmentals) and suprasegmentals? 

It allows the brain to map continuous, varying acoustic signals into discrete linguistic categories.

• Segmentals: It ignores irrelevant "within-category" variations to identify syllables (e.g., ba vs. pa).

• Suprasegmentals: It groups continuous pitch and timing cues into recognizable patterns (e.g., stress, tone, or intonation)

What is the basic idea of categorical perception in language learning? 

Differences between sounds from different categories are emphasized, while differences within the same category are minimized. 

In the ABX task described, what would show that a listener can distinguish two sounds? 

Accuracy significantly above chance (50%). High scores (approaching 100%) or a high d-prime (d') value indicate the listener perceives a reliable difference rather than just guessing. Accuracy typically peaks when sounds cross a phonetic category boundary.

If a consonant has a longer voice onset time (VOT), how do English-speaking listeners typically perceive the sound? 

The consonant is perceived as voiceless

What does the term 'intermediate states' (S1, S2, …) refer to in FT/FA? 

The different stages of interlanguage grammars learners construct as they receive L2 input.

Which view is in opposition to FT/FA because it states that learners have zero access to UG? 

Fundamental Difference Hypothesis (FDH) 

According to FT/FA, how do learners reach their final (steady} state in the second language?

Their final grammar, sometimes called ultimate attainment. It may or not be fully target-like. Learners reach their final state by successive restructuring. They begin with their full L1 grammar (Full Transfer); when L1 rules fail to process L2 input, they use Universal Grammar (Full Access) to reset parameters and create new mental representations until a stable grammar is formed.

Which statement best summarizes FT/FA’s stance on whether L2 learners share the same UG access as L1 learners? 

Yes, they have the same access to UG, but start from a different initial state.

What does FT/FA imply about differences between L1 and L2 acquisition? 

Differences can arise from having the L1 as the starting point, not from a lack of access to UG.

In FT/FA, what role does the concept of 'initial state' play for L2 learners? 

It is the L1 grammar that is carried over to the L2 as the starting point

What does the term 'intermediate states' (S1, S2, …) refer to in FT/FA? 

The different stages of interlanguage grammars learners construct as they receive L2 input

Spanish allows you to drop the subject in many contexts, but English does not. Spanish speakers eventually learn to include the subjects in English. How does this support FT/FA? 

It shows the two stages of the model: Full Transfer, where the learner initially applies the Spanish "subject-drop" rule to English, and Full Access, where the learner uses Universal Grammar to restructure their grammar and adopt the English requirement for subjects.