Acoustic analysis of English lexical stress produced by native (L1) Bengali speakers compared to native (L1) English speakers

Abstract

English lexical stress is acoustically related to combination of fundamental frequency (F0), duration, intensity and vowel quality. Current study compares the use of these correlates by 10 L1 English and 20 L1 Bengali speakers to find out which correlates are most difficult for Bengali speakers to acquire. Results showed that English and Bengali speakers used the acoustic correlates of vowel duration, intensity and F0 in similar manner, but Bengali speakers produced significantly less English like stress patterns. English speakers reduced vowel duration significantly more in the unstressed vowels compared to Bengali speakers and degree of intensity and F0 increase in stressed vowels by English speakers was higher than that by Bengali speakers. Moreover Bengali speakers produced English like vowel quality in certain unstressed syllables, but in other cases there were significant differences in vowel quality across groups. This study supports the idea of interference from L1 to L2 (nonnative) phonology.