Pattern Learning and Accent Familiarity in Monolingual and Bilingual English Speakers: Generalizing Learning Across Accented Speech

Abstract

It is increasingly common to encounter speakers with an accented variety of English, especially as society becomes more diverse and multilingual. To begin shedding light on how to improve communication outcomes when interacting with a speaker who has an accent, this research investigates individual cognitive factors which may enhance the ability to process accented speech. These factors include statistical learning ability, accent familiarity, language background, and the relationships therein. Statistical learning is the ability to extract regularities from the environment and is highly implicated in processing language. A novel auditory statistical learning (aSL) task with accented phonemes was administered to 43 participants recruited from the University of Alberta, alongside a visual statistical learning task, language background questionnaire, and accent familiarity questionnaire. Linear regression analysis was used to examine the differences in performance between English L1 and L2 participants on the aSL task. It was found that the English L1 participants had a faster reaction time overall, though the English L2 participants were more correct overall. Accent familiarity was a significant predictor of reaction time, especially for L2 participants. Performance on the visual statistical learning task was the only significant predictor of overall aSL score; however, more nuanced analysis showed differences in performance by question type between the two groups. The findings contribute to understanding how bilingualism can affect the processing of accented phonemes, how statistical learning and bilingualism are related, and how exposure to a variety of accents may be just as beneficial as exposure to a particular accent when processing accented speech. This thesis also provides a lasting contribution to the field by providing a new auditory statistical learning task and Accent Familiarity Questionnaire with preliminary reliability and validity. It also provides an essential foundation for future research.