The Acquisition of Allophonic Aspiration Contrast of English Voiceless Stops

Abstract

 This study examines the acquisition of the allophonic aspiration contrast of English voiceless stops by Khowar speakers, whose native language encodes aspiration as a phonemic distinction. Drawing on the Speech Learning Model (SLM), the study investigates how first-language (L1) phonology and linguistic environment influence the acquisition of second-language (L2) aspiration patterns. A production experiment measured the Voice Onset Time (VOT) of English voiceless stops produced by thirty native Khowar speakers, divided into Pakistan-based and UK-based groups. The results show that Pakistan-based speakers tended to equate English aspirated stops with their unaspirated L1 counterparts, indicating strong L1 transfer effects. In contrast, UK-based speakers demonstrated greater overall accuracy in producing English aspiration, though their productions also revealed instances of hypercorrection, suggesting heightened sensitivity to the L2 contrast. These findings reveal the critical role of L2 input in phonetic category formation and support the view that sustained exposure and explicit phonetic instruction may facilitate the restructuring of L1-based phonological representations in L2 acquisition.