Comparative study of focal lengthening in the speech of native speakers and Japanese speakers of English

Abstract

A study on word duration in English sentences uttered by native speakers of Japanese is conducted, in which the difference in focus between the English and Japanese languages is taken into account. The durations of Japanese speakers are compared with those of English speakers in regard to a percentage distribution of an individual word relative to all words in a sentence. The results of statistical analysis reveal that defects of focus, which are shorter for English speakers, occur on nouns and on words at the ends of sentences in Japanese speakers. The former result suggests that English speakers put focus on nouns, whereas Japanese speakers tend not to have the same rhythm as English speakers. The latter result suggests that phrase-final lengthening is insufficient in Japanese speakers. Also, these results can be explained by the difference in focus between English and Japanese. Additionally, a correlation is recognized between the defects in focus and the English proficiency of Japanese speakers.