Phonetic variability and the variable perception of L2 word stress by French Canadian listeners

This study investigates development and individual attainment in the perception of word stress by French Canadian second language (L2) learners of English at three proficiency levels (intermediate, low-advanced, high-advanced). It aims to determine whether a perceptual or a processing deficit is responsible for their so-called stress `deafness' (e.g., Dupoux et al., 1997, 2001, 2008). Seventy-five French Canadian L2 learners of English and 31 native English speakers completed an AXB perception task in English where contrast type (stress, segmental) and phonetic variability (with, without) were manipulated, but where processing demands were relatively low. The results indicate that the L2 learners had more difficulty perceiving English stress in the presence than in the absence of phonetic variability. Yet, their perception of stress in the phonetically variable condition was above chance and improved as the number of trials increased. Although the three proficiency groups did not perform significantly differently on the experiment, the L2 learners' self-reported per cent daily use of English was found to be a significant predictor of their successful perception of phonetically variable stress. Given these findings, it is argued that French listeners' reported lack of success in the perception of word stress is unlikely to stem from a perceptual deficit.