Spoken word recognition by English-speaking learners of Spanish

Spoken word recognition is a hard task. As an aid, native listeners develop segmentation strategies efficiently attuned to phonological properties of their language, like the rhythmic unit (foot, syllable, or mora). If second-language (L2) learners persist in using their own unit, they may experience longer processing times and even miss word boundaries. Therefore, the question arises as to whether highly proficient L2-speakers can inhibit their segmentation habits. Native Spanish subjects and English-speaking learners of Spanish took a word-spotting test. Participants heard nonsensical words and had to decide whether a real Spanish word or pseudoword was embedded. Some words and pseudowords were stress-initial; others were stress-medial. Different reaction times for both conditions would indicate foot-based segmentation. RTs showed non-significant differences across conditions for either L1 group. English speakers may interpret Spanish unreduced vowels as cues to foot beginning, with their foot-based segmentation having the same effect as syllable-based in this case.