FACULTAD DE FILOLOGÍA
GRADO EN ESTUDIOS INGLESES
TRABAJO DE FIN DE GRADO
Cu so académico 2024/2025
Pe cep ion o English Vowel Sounds by Spanish Speake s
Alumno: Mónica Fe nández G andes
Tu o : Da ío Ba e a Pa do
Con en s
0. Abs ac ....................................................................................................................... 1
1. In oduc ion ................................................................................................................ 1
1.1 P e ious s udies ..................................................................................................... 2
1.2 Resea ch Ques ions and Hypo hesis ................................................................... 4
2. Me hodology ................................................................................................................ 7
2.1 Selec ion o minimal pai s .................................................................................... 8
2.2 Ques ionnai e and lab eco dings ..................................................................... 14
2.3 Pa icipan s and na i e speake s....................................................................... 15
2.4 Da a analysis ....................................................................................................... 16
3. Resul s ........................................................................................................................ 17
3.1 In e p e a ion o esul s ..................................................................................... 19
3.2 Discussion (Compa ison wi h hypo heses and p e ious s udies) ................... 21
4. Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 26
Re e ences ...................................................................................................................... 27
Appendix ....................................................................................................................... 28
1
0. Abs ac
This S udy in es iga es how na i e Spanish speake s pe cei e English owel
sounds, ocusing on con as s ha do no exis in Spanish, such as /iː/–/ɪ/, /ʊ/–/uː/, and
/æ/–/ʌ/. The main aim is o iden i y which phonemes a e mos di icul o dis inguish and
how ac o s like p o iciency le el, age o acquisi ion, yea s o o mal ins uc ion, and
pa icipa ion in E asmus p og ams in luence pe cep ion. Twel e Spanish-speaking
pa icipan s wi h a ying le els o English (B1 o C2) comple ed a minimal pai s lis ening
es ea u ing audio eco dings by a na i e English speake . Each pa icipan selec ed he
wo d hey belie ed hey hea d om a pai o op ions. Resul s we e examined h ough he
numbe o co ec esponses and he ypes o ecu ing e o s. The indings show ha /ʊ/–
/uː/ and /iː/–/ɪ/ we e he mos challenging con as s, suppo ing p e ious esea ch on
second language phoneme pe cep ion. Highe p o iciency le els gene ally led o be e
esul s, bu o he ac o s also played a ole. Pa icipan s wi h ea ly exposu e o English o
eal-li e expe ience ab oad pe o med mo e accu a ely, while he numbe o yea s spen
in language school did no always co ela e wi h imp o ed pe cep ion. These esul s
highligh he impo ance o bo h linguis ic and expe ien ial ac o s in he de elopmen o
phonological awa eness. They also sugges ha p onuncia ion eaching o Spanish
lea ne s o English should go beyond class oom ins uc ion and include mo e exposu e
o au hen ic inpu and ocused lis ening p ac ice.
Key wo ds: English owels, accu acy, pe cep ion, p o iciency, minimal pai ,
exposu e.
1. In oduc ion
Lea ning a second language (L2) in ol es mo e han acqui ing g amma ical and
lexical skills; i also equi es mas e ing a new phone ic and phonological sys em. A key
aspec o his p ocess is speech pe cep ion, which di ec ly in luences lis ening
comp ehension and accu a e p onuncia ion. Howe e , esea ch sugges s ha lea ne s end
o pe cei e L2 sounds h ough he phonological il e o hei na i e language (L1),
leading o di icul ies in dis inguishing un amilia phonemes (Flege, 1995; Bes , 1995).
Fo Spanish speake s when lea ning English, hese di icul ies a e pa icula ly
e iden due o signi ican phonological di e ences be ween he wo languages. English
has a mo e complex owel sys em, including dis inc ions in owel leng h and quali y
(Roach, 2009). These di e ences o en lead o mispe cep ions and p onuncia ion e o s.
2
The p ima y goal o his s udy is o analyse how Spanish speake s pe cei e
English sounds and iden i y he ac o s ha in luence hei abili y o dis inguish hem.
Speci ic objec i es include:
• Iden i ying he English phonemes ha cause he mos di icul y o Spanish
speake s.
• Examining he in luence o p o iciency le el on phoneme pe cep ion
• Assessing he impac o ac o s such as age o acquisi ion and linguis ic exposu e
on pe cep ion accu acy
1.1 P e ious s udies
Be o e designing my own s udy, I e iewed ele an li e a u e o be e unde s and
how Spanish speake s pe cei e English owel sounds. One o he mos in luen ial s udies
I consul ed was The Pe cep ion o English Vowels by Monolingual, Bilingual, and
He i age Speake s o Spanish and English by Amanda Boome shine (2013). This esea ch
in es iga es how speake s om di e en linguis ic backg ounds monolingual Spanish
and English speake s, bilinguals, and he i age Spanish speake s pe cei e Ame ican
English on owels, pa icula ly hose ha do no exis in he Spanish owel sys em,
such as /ɪ/, /æ/, and /ɛ/. The s udy uses a simila i y a ing ask, whe e pa icipan s lis en
o pai s o owel sounds and a e how simila o di e en hey sound. The esul s showed
ha monolingual Spanish speake s had mo e di icul y dis inguishing be ween ce ain
English owels specially /i/ and /ɪ/ and /e/ and /æ/ due o he absence o hese con as s in
Spanish. In con as , bilingual and he i age speake s demons a ed mo e accu a e
pe cep ion, pe o ming mo e simila ly o na i e English speake s, pa icula ly when hey
had highe p o iciency in English o had been exposed o i om an ea ly age.
These indings suppo he idea ha g ea e exposu e o English and ea lie age o
acquisi ion con ibu e o imp o ed pe cep ion o di icul owel con as . This s udy was
especially ele an o my own esea ch because i no only con i med he phonemes ha
a e mos p oblema ic o Spanish lea ne s bu also o e ed insigh in o how ac o s such
as p o iciency and language backg ound can a ec audi o y pe cep ion.
Ano he s udy ha signi ican ly in o med he design o his p ojec is The
Pe cep ion o English Vowels by Spanish Speake s by And ew R. Jeske (2012), which
examines how na i e Spanish speake s pe cei e English owels using he amewo k o
he pe cep ual Assimila ion Model o Language Lea ne s (PAM-L2). The esea ch
3
in ol ed wel e Spanish-speaking g adua e s uden s a he Uni e si y o Pi sbu gh who
comple ed h ee asks: owel assimila ion, AX ca ego ical disc imina ion, and o ced
iden i ica ion. The se asks aimed o analyse how English owels map on o he Spanish
owel sys em and whe he hese mappings could p edic he di icul y in pe cei ing
speci ic con as s. Jeske’s indings showed ha while some English owel con as s, such
as /ɪ/-/eɪ/, we e ela i ely easy o pa icipan s o dis inguish, o he s especially hose
ca ego ized unde single-ca ego y assimila ion (e.g., /i:/-/ɪ/ and /æ/-/ɑ/) we e di icul o
disc imina e accu a ely. No ably, he o ced iden i ica ion ask e ealed ha pa icipan s
o en con used simila owel sounds, such as iden i ying /i:/ as /ɪ/ mo e han hal o he
ime. Al hough PAM-L2 was help ul in some cases, he s udy concluded ha i does no
ully accoun o all disc imina ion di icul ies. The au ho sugges s ha ac o s beyond
simple owel mapping such as exposu e, men al ep esen a ions, and pe cep ual biases
may in luence L2 owel pe cep ion.
This s udy ein o ced he impo ance o including minimal pai s in ol ing
p oblema ic con as in my own esea ch and highligh ed he need o conside indi idual
lea ne a iables like p o iciency and p io exposu e when in e p e ing pe cep ion
accu acy.
A key s udy ha in o med he p esen esea ch is he Pe cep ion o English and
Spanish Vowels by Na i e English and Spanish Lis ene s: A Mul idimensional Scaling
Analysis by Fox, Flege, and Mun o (1995). This s udy aimed o compa e how
monolingual English speake s and Spanish-English bilinguals pe cei e bo h English and
Spanish owels. Using a mul idimensional scaling (MDS) me hos, he au ho s analysed
how each g oup a ed dissimila i ies be ween owel pai s based on acous ic p ope ies.
Pa icipan s lis ened o 405 owel pai ings including English and Spanish owels and
a ed hem on a nine-poin dissimila i y scale. The esul s e ealed no able di e ences
be ween he wo g oups. English speake s used h ee pe cep ual dimensions o e alua e
he owels: owel heigh , on /back placemen , and a cen al/noncen al dis inc ion. In
con as , Spanish lis ene s elied mainly on wo dimensions, wi h owel heigh being he
mos p ominen . Impo an ly, he s udy ound ha Spanish lis ene s’ pe cep ion pa e ns
o med clus e s a ound he h ee na i e Spanish owels (/i/, /e/, /a/), sugges ing a
“pe cep ual magne ” e ec , whe e L2 owel sounds a e pe cei ed in ela ion o simila
na i e ca ego ies. Fu he mo e, he esea che s compa ed p o icien and nonp o icien
Spanish-English bilinguals. The owel space o he mo e p o icien g oup was ound o
4
esemble ha o na i e English lis ene s mo e closely, pa icula ly in how English owels
like /eɪ/ and /ɛ/ we e pe cei ed. This inding suppo s he idea ha inc eased p o iciency
and exposu e o he second language can eshape he pe cep ual owel space, e en in
adul lea ne s.
This s udy is pa icula ly ele an o my own esea ch, as i no only con i ms he
challenges Spanish speake s ace wi h speci ic English owel con as s, bu also
highligh s how linguis ic expe ience and p o iciency can al e pe cep ion s a egies. I
ein o ces he impo ance o analysing indi idual a ia ion and including pa icipan
backg ound in he in e p e a ion o esul s.
1.2 Resea ch Ques ions and Hypo heses
• RQ1: Which English phonemes a e he mos di icul o Spanish speake s
o pe cei e accu a ely?
Jeske (2012) ound ha Spanish speake s had he mos di icul y pe cei ing
English owel con as s such as /i/-/ɪ/, /ɛ/-/æ/, and /ʊ/-/u/. These pai s a e ha d o
na i e Spanish speake s because Spanish does no use owel leng h o ce ain
heigh dis inc ions. Fo example, /i/ was o en con used wi h /ɪ/ mo e han 50% o
he ime. “1. Single-ca ego y (di icul ): /i-ɪ/, /eɪ-ɛ/, and /æ-ɑ/ 2. Ca ego y-
Goodness ( ela i ely easy): /æ-ɔ/, /ɑ-ɔ/, /ɔ-ʊ/, /o-ʊ/, and /ʊ-u/” (Jeske, 2012, pp.
42). “I we look a he ou leas accu a ely disc imina ed con as s om
expe imen 2 (/i-ɪ/, /ɔ-ɑ/, /u-ʊ/, /ɛ-æ/) we see simila iden i ica ion pa e ns
eme ge. Tables 7 and 8 show us ha in h ee o hese ou con as s, he i s oken
was misiden i ied as he second mo e o en han i was iden i ied co ec ly: /i/ was
labeled as /ɪ/ 54% o he ime, /ɔ/ was labeled as /ɑ/ 54% o he ime, and /u/ was
labeled as /ʊ/ 50% o he ime. Wha his sugges s is ha he na i e Spanish
speaking pa icipan s ha e no ye es ablished L2 ca ego ies ha dis inguish
be ween /i/-/ɪ/, /a/- /ɔ/, and /u/-/ʊ/.” (Jeske, 2012, p. 43-44).
• RQ2: Does p o iciency le el English co ela e wi h imp o ed pe cep ion o
di icul phonemes?
Bo h Boome shine (2013) and Fox, Flege and Mun o (1995) showed ha mo e
p o icien lea ne s o English a e be e a pe cei ing English owels. Fox, Flege
and Mun o compa ed p o icien and non-p o icien Spanish speake s and ound
ha he owel space o p o icien speake s was mo e simila o ha o na i e
English speake s. “The owel space o he p o icien Spanish lis ene s was mo e
5
English like han ha o he non p o icien Spanish lis ene s” (Fox, Flege and
Mun o., 1995, p.1).
Boome shine (2013) also p edic ed ha bilingual speake s would be be e a
iden i ying non-na i e owels, especially /æ/, /ɛ/, and /ɪ/.
• RQ3: Does age o acquisi ion in luence pe cep ion accu acy?
Fox, Flege and Mun o (1995) ound a signi ican connec ion be ween age o
a i al in an English-speaking coun y and phonemic pe cep ion. Lea ne s who
a i ed a a younge age had be e English owel pe cep ion. “The e was a
signi ican nega i e co ela ion be ween he p o iciency ankings and age o
a i al in he US” (Fox, Flege and Mun o, 1995, p. 4).
• RQ4: Does Ha ing spen mo e yea s in a language school in luence
pe cep ion accu acy?
Fox, Flege and Mun o (1995) no ed ha p o icien speake s had s udied English
o mo e yea s han non-p o icien ones (9.3 yea s s 6.6 yea s). Al hough no
ocused on o mal ins uc ion, his sugges s ha mo e yea s o language s udy
may help lea ne s hea English owels mo e accu a ely. “They had s udied
English longe in school han he non p o icien lis ene s (9.3 s 6.6 yea s)” (Fox,
Flege and Mun o, 1995, p. 3).
• RQ5: Does ha ing pa icipa ed is an E asmus p og am in luence pe cep ion
accu acy?
Fox, Flege and Mun o (1995) showed ha pa icipan s who li ed in he Uni ed
S a es o longe pe iods de eloped mo e na i e-like owel pe cep ion. This
suppo s he idea ha language imme sion expe iences, such as E asmus, can
imp o e phonemic pe cep ion. “The p o icien lea ne s had li ed sligh ly longe
in he US (4.2 s 3.7 yea s)” (Fox, Flege and Mun o, 1995, p.3) “The owel space
o he p o icien Spanish lis ene s was mo e English like han ha o he non
p o icien ” (Fox, Flege and Mun o, 1995, p. 1).
Hypo heses:
● Hypo hesis 1: Fo Spanish speake s, he mos challenging minimal pai s o
pe cei e a e ypically hose in ol ing owel sounds ha do no exis in Spanish
6
o a e e y simila om a Spanish phone ic pe spec i e. The ollowing pai s a e
likely o be he mos di icul :
• /iː/ s /ɪ/
• /ʊ/ s /uː/
These pai s in ol e dis inc ions be ween long and sho owels, which a e no
phonemic in Spanish. As a esul , Spanish-speaking lea ne s o English o en
s uggle o hea and p oduce hese con as s accu a ely. Jeske (2012) con i med
ha hese con as s a e especially di icul because Spanish lacks leng h and many
owel quali y dis inc ions ound in English. “Spanish speake s ha e di icul y
disc imina ing be ween ins ances o /i/ and /ɪ/” (Jeske, 2012, p. 37). “/u/ was
labeled as /ʊ/ 50% o he ime” (Jeske, 2012, p. 43-44).
● Hypo hesis 2: Lea ne s wi h highe English p o iciency le el will show g ea e
accu acy when pe cei ing di icul owel sounds. This is because mo e ad anced
lea ne s usually ha e had mo e exposu e o di e en English sounds, be e
lis ening skills, and mo e expe ience dis inguishing sub le di e ences be ween
simila phonemes. Fox, Flege and Mun o. (1995) clea ly showed ha mo e
p o icien lea ne s had a owel space close o ha o na i e English speake s.
“These esul s suppo he claim ha he owel space o he p o icien Spanish
lis ene s is mo e simila o he English space han is he non p o icien Spanish
owel space” (Fox e al., 1995, p. 8).
● Hypo hesis 3: Pa icipan s who began lea ning English ea lie will exhibi
signi ican ly highe pe cep ion accu acy compa ed o hose who s a ed lea ning
he language ea lie , sugges ing a c i ical pe iod e ec .
Age o a i al was signi ican ly ela ed o p o iciency in English phoneme
pe cep ion. “The p o icien lis ene s we e somewha younge (30 s 38 yea s) and
had li ed sligh ly longe in he US (4.1 s 3.7 yea s) han he non p o icien
lis ene s” (Fox, Flege and Mun o. 1995, p.3).
● Hypo hesis 4: Pa icipan s wi h a g ea e numbe o yea s a ending a language
academy will demons a e highe pe cep ion accu acy o English owel sounds,
likely due o inc eased exposu e, s uc u ed p ac ice, and co ec i e eedback o e
7
ime. Al hough no di ec ly s udied, Fox, Flege and Mun o. (1995) ound ha
mo e p o icien lea ne s had mo e yea s o English ins uc ion.
“They had s udied English longe in school han he non p o icien lis ene s” (Fox,
Flege and Mun o, 1995, p.3).
● Hypo hesis 5: Pa icipan s who ha e pa icipa ed in an E asmus p og am will
achie e highe accu acy in he pe cep ion o English owel phonemes, as li ing
ab oad may p o ide mo e ex ensi e and na u alis ic exposu e o he a ge
language. Longe ime spen li ing in an English-speaking coun y was associa ed
wi h mo e na i e-like owel pe cep ion. “The p o icien lis ene s we e somewha
younge (30 s 38 yea s) and had li ed sligh ly longe in he US (4.1 s 3.7 yea s)
han he non p o icien lis ene s” (Fox, Flege and Mun o. 1995, p.3)
2. Me hodology
To ca y ou his s udy, a lis ening pe cep ion es ea u ing minimal pai s o
p oblema ic sounds was designed. Pa icipan s will lis en o wo ds and will ha e o
indica e which wo d hey ha e hea d. The es was c ea ed using he Genially pla o m,
ocusing on he pe cep ion o English owel sounds. The ques ionnai e consis ed o a
se ies o audio eco dings, each con aining he p onuncia ion o a single wo d.
Pa icipan s we e asked o lis en ca e ully o each eco ding and selec he wo d hey
belie ed had been p onounced om a se o wo simila op ions.
A o al o 12 pa icipan s we e indi idually in i ed o comple e he ques ionnai e
in pe son. A anging he sessions pe sonally allowed me o supe ise he p ocess di ec ly,
ensu ing ha pa icipan s ollowed he ins uc ions co ec ly. Addi ionally, I made e e y
e o o c ea e a elaxed and na u al a mosphe e du ing he sessions o minimize
pa icipan anxie y, as ne ousness could ha e nega i ely in luenced hei pe o mance
and, consequen ly he eliabili y o he esul s, being p esen also enabled me o obse e
and eco d he amoun o ime each pa icipan ook o comple e he ask, p o iding
u he da a o analysis. The use o minimal pai s was speci ically chosen o highligh
sub le di e ences in owel sounds ha a e o en challenging o Spanish speake s o
pe cei e accu a ely, he s uc u e o he ques ionnai e and he me hod o adminis e ing i
we e designed o c ea e a con olled ye na u al es ing en i onmen , aimed a cap u ing
genuine pe cep ual abili ies. A e collec ing hei answe s, he esul s we e analysed wi h
14
Lea ne s may ocus on he sha ed lip ounding bu miss he signi ican di e ences in
leng h, heigh , and enseness.
2.2 Ques ionnai e and lab eco dings
The ques ionnai e was made on an app called “Genially”. This so wa e p o ides
use s wi h he abili y o design a wide ange o in e ac i e con en , such as images,
in og aphics, p esen a ions, mic osi es, ca alogues, and maps. Each o hese can be
enhanced wi h a ious in e ac i e ea u es and anima ions o make hem mo e engaging
and dynamic. The ool is ully accessible h ough he web, meaning he e is no need o
download o ins all any so wa e. The ee e sion is ypically su icien o mos use s’
needs, allowing hem o c ea e a a ie y o in e ac i e p ojec wi hou any cos . Howe e ,
he paid e sion o e s addi ional empla es and mo e ad ances unc ionali y, including
he op ion o sa e he inal p esen a ion di ec ly o you desk op, which can be ey use ul
o o line use o u he edi ing. I chose his pla o m because i allowed me o inse
oice eco dings, which was essen ial o he ype o ac i i y I wan ed o do. By using
his ea u e, I was able o in eg a e lis ening comp ehension exe cises and o he audio-
bases asks, making he ques ionnai e mo e in e ac i e and engaging. Addi ionally,
Genially p o ided a isually appealing and use - iendly in e ace, which helped ensu e
ha pa icipan s could na iga e he quiz easily. This combina ion o audio and isual
elemen s con ibu ed o a mo e e ec i e and dynamic lea ning expe ience.
The eco dings o he wo ds used in his s udy we e made in he phone ics
labo a o y a he Uni e si y o Se ille, a acili y I was able o access hanks o my BA
hesis ad iso , Da ío Ba e a Pa do. Since, as s uden s, we a e no au ho ized o ese e
he labo a o y, i was necessa y o my ad iso o make he ese a ion, as only acul y
membe s wi h p ope au ho iza ion a e pe mi ed o do so. I con ac ed him ia email,
ou lining he a ailabili y o my o eign pa icipan , and oge he we a anged a sui able
day o he eco ding session. The eco ding ook place in a soundp oo oom speci ically
designed and equipped o his ype o wo d. Once he eco ding was comple ed, I sa ed
he iles on o my compu e , which allowed me o la e analyse he ma e ial and di ide i
in o segmen s o be used in he ques ionnai e ha would be send o he pa icipan .
Link o he quiz: h ps:// iew.genially.com/67c5 80411b68b7c082e10bd/in e ac i e-
con en -pe cep ion-o -english-sounds
15
2.3 Pa icipan s and na i e speake s
This s udy was ca ied ou wi h 12 pa icipan s, one gi l, who is a na i e speake
o English, who eco ded he audios and he es o hem a e all na i e speake s o
Spanish, bo h male and emale, aged be ween 17 and 23. Thei expe iences wi h English
ha e been di e en , some has s udied in p i a e language schools, o he had pa icipa ed
in E asmus p og ams, and some has only lea ned English a p ima y and seconda y
schools, which has likely con ibu ed o he de elopmen and ein o cemen o hei
lis ening and speaking abili ies o e ime. Despi e hese di e ences, all pa icipan s ha e
an O icial English ce i ica e anging om B1 o C2, p o iding a eliable measu e o
hei language skills, al hough hese ce i ica es came om di e en ins i u ions, such as
Camb idge, T ini y and Ap is. The na i e speake is a gi l who is 22 yea s old. She is om
Camb idge and now she is cu en ly pa icipa ing in he E asmus p og am a he
Uni e si y o Se ille, which las s om he en i e 2024/2025 academic yea . We me
du ing he i s semes e , as we we e bo h en olled in he Sociolinguis ics cou se.
Bellow, I p esen a able ha include he ollowing in o ma ion: gende , age,
English p o iciency le el, he ype o language examen aken, pa icipa ion in an E asmus
p og am, whe he he pa icipan has o eign amily membe s and whe he hey ha e
a ended a p i a e language school, i so, he age a which hey began s udying English
and a wha age hey ended is shown. This able p o ides a comp ehensi e o e iew o
he ac o s ha may in luence he pa icipan s’ pe cep ion o English owel sounds.
Table 1: In o ma ion abou he pa icipan s
Pa icipan s
Gende
Age
P o iciency
Ce i ica e
Fo eign
amily
E asmus
S a ing age lang.
School
1
Female
17
B1
Camb idge
No
No
12-16
2
Male
23
B1
Camb idge
No
No
11-14
3
Male
23
B1
Camb idge
No
No
11-14
16
Table 1: In o ma ion abou he pa icipan s
4
Male
20
B2
Ap is
No
No
12-14
5
Female
21
B2
Camb idge
No
No
18
(4 mon hs)
6
Female
21
B2
Camb idge
No
Yes
8-17
7
Male
21
C1
IELTS
No
Yes
X
8
Female
21
C1
Camb idge
No
Yes
5-18
9
Female
20
C1
Camb idge
No
No
12-16
10
Male
21
C2
Camb idge
No
Yes
12-15
11
Female
21
C2
Camb idge
No
Yes
X
12
Male
21
C2
Camb idge
No
No
12-17
2.4 Da a analysis
The analysis o he da a collec ed in his s udy was ca ied ou h ough se e al
app oaches. The pe cen age o co ec answe s was calcula ed indi idually o each
pa icipan , his allowed o a gene al o e iew o he pa icipan s’ pe cep ual abili ies
ega ding English owel sounds. In addi ion, esul s we e compa ed be ween di e en
g oups based on speci ic cha ac e is ics such as Englich p o iciency le el, pa icipa ion
in an E asmus p og am, a endance a a p i a e language school, and he age a which
pa icipan s began s udying English. These compa isons aimed o iden i y whe he hese
ac o s had a no iceable in luence on pe cep ion accu acy. Fu he mo e, he analysis
ocused on iden i ying which speci ic English phonemes p esen ed he g ea es di icul y
o Spanish speake s, by obse ing he minimal pai s ha gene a ed he mos equen
17
e o s. This helped add ess he i s esea ch ques ion conce ning he mos challenging
phonemes.
Since he ques ionnai e sessions we e conduc ed in pe son, i was also possible o
obse e and eco d he app oxima e ime each pa icipan spen comple ing he ask. This
in o ma ion was used o conside whe he quicke esponse imes co ela ed wi h highe
o lowe accu acy a es, as well as o explo e whe he pa icipan s wi h highe p o iciency
o mo e in e na ional expe ience demons a ed g ea e e iciency. Finally, ela ionships
be ween di e en ac o s we e obse ed. Fo ins ance, endencies such as pa icipan s
who s a ed lea ning English a a younge age, o pa icipan s who has pa icipa ed in an
E asmus p og am displaying g ea e accu acy wi h di icul sounds like, we e no ed and
discussed. The use o simple ables helped o o ganize he da a isually, acili a ing clea e
in e p e a ion and discussion o he esul s.
3. Resul s
Table 2: Resul s o he quiz
P o iciency
le el
Pa icipan
Wo ds
es ed
Co ec
answe s
Inco ec
answe s
E o s
Du a ion
(min)
B1
1
36
27
9
3-4-5-6-8-
15-23-26-
35
7:42
B1
2
36
35
1
11-12
6.45
B1
3
36
31
5
5-6-11-15-
18-21
8:38
B2
4
36
29
7
5-6-7-8-
12-18-36
7:17
B2
5
36
30
6
12-18-25-
30-31-36
9:10
B2
6
36
32
4
1-3-7-8
10:25
18
Table 2: Resul s o he quiz
C1
7
36
31
3
1-7-18
6.45
C1
8
36
36
0
6:40
C1
9
36
33
4
1-2-7-8
6:42
C2
10
36
35
1
20
7:21
C2
11
36
33
3
5-7-20
9.33
C2
12
36
34
3
5-7-19-20
8:46
Table 3: Pe cen age o co ec answe s
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
75%
97%
86%
81%
83%
89%
92%
100%
89%
97%
92%
92%
Table 4: Mos common e o s in each le el
B1
hea –hi (/hiː / – /hɪ /) [/iː/ s /ɪ/]
bu –ba (/bʌ /– /bæ /) [/ʌ/ s /æ/]
luke–look (/luːk/ – /lʊk/) [/uː/ s /ʊ/]
B2
ool– ull (/ uːl/ – / ʊl/) [/uː/ s /ʊ/]
cap–cup (/kæp/ – /kʌp/) [/æ/ s /ʌ/]
cook–co k (/kʊk/ – /kɔːk/) [/ʊ/ s /ɔː/]
hea –hi (/hiː / – /hɪ /), bea –bi (/biː / –
/bɪ /), and peak–pick (/piːk/ – /pɪk/), all o
which in ol e he owel con as [/iː/ s /ɪ/]
19
Table 4: Mos common e o s in each le el
C1
caugh –co (/kɔː / – /kɒ /) [/ɔː/ s /ɒ/]
ool– ull (/ uːl/ – / ʊl/) [/uː/ s /ʊ/]
C2
caugh –co (/kɔː / – /kɒ /) [/ɔː/ s /ɒ/]
ool– ull (/ uːl/ – / ʊl/) [/uː/ s /ʊ/]
3.1 In e p e a ion o esul s
In his sec ion, he esul s ob ained om a minimal pai lis ening quiz a e analysed
in de ail. The analysis ocused on he mos equen e o s, he ecu ing di icul ies ac oss
le els, and he pa e ns obse ed wi hin each g oup o h ee pa icipan s pe le el. Special
a en ion is gi en o he owel con as s ha p o es p oblema ic no only a lowe le els
(B1-B2) bu also a mo e ad anced s ages (C1-C2). In some cases, e en he ad ances
pa icipan s had ouble wi h ce ain sounds, especially hose ha do no exis in Spanish.
Fi s , he esul s will be analysed sepa a ely by p o iciency g oup (B1, B2, C1 and
C2) in o de o iden i y he mos equen e o s wi hin each le el. Fo each g oup,
a en ion will be gi en o he mis akes ha we e sha ed among he h ee pa icipan s o
he same le el. A e his indi idual analysis, a gene al compa ison will be made o
highligh which owel con as s we e mos p oblema ic ac oss all le els. This will help
iden i y he mos common e o made by Spanish lea ne s o English, ega dless o hei
le el o p o iciency. In his analysis, i will also be conside ed whe he he pa icipan has
a ended p i a e lessons a a language academy and o how many yea s, as well as
whe he hey ha e aken pa in an E asmus p og amme. These ac o s may ha e an
in luence on hei lis ening and p onuncia ion skills. As shown in he able in sec ion 2.3
none o he pa icipan s has any o eign amily backg ound, which helps isola e he
in luence o o mal educa ion and s udy ab oad expe ience on hei pe o mance in he
minimal pai s ask. Finally, he du a ion o he es o each pa icipan will also be
discussed, as his is conside ed an in e es ing aspec o examine. The ime aken o
comple e he quiz may e lec ac o s such as con idence, amilia i y wi h he sounds, o
hesi a ion when dis inguishing be ween simila owel con as s. Analysing his da a can
p o ide u he insigh in o how lea ne s a di e en p o iciency le els app oach lis ening
20
asks in ol ing minimal pai s. In addi ion, some speci ic beha iou s obse ed du ing he
es sessions will be desc ibed, as I was p esen wi h each pa icipan indi idually. These
obse a ions o e aluable quali a i e in o ma ion ha may help explain ce ain esul s
o pa e ns iden i ied in he da a.
In he i s g oup, which is B1, he e a e h ee pa icipan s. They did no all make
he same mis ake, bu he e we e some common e o s. Pa icipan 1 and Pa icipan 3
bo h had ouble wi h hea -hi (/hiː / – /hɪ /) [/iː/ s /ɪ/] and bu -ba (/bʌ /– /bæ /) [/ʌ/ s
/æ/], while Pa icipan 2 and Pa icipan 3 bo h made mis ake wi h Luke-look (/luːk/ –
/lʊk/) [/uː/ s /ʊ/]. I seems ha pa icipan 1 who is younge and who s a ed la e a he
language school made mo e mis akes han he o he wo pa icipan s. An in e es ing ac
abou Pa icipan 2 and Pa icipan 3 is ha hey a e wins, which means hey ha e
ecei ed he same educa ion, ye hei esul s a e di e en . This poin will be discussed in
mo e de ail in sec ion 3.2.
In he B2 le el, he wo d ha all h ee pa icipan s misiden i ied was ool and ull
(/ uːl/ – / ʊl/), indica ing di icul y wi h he owel con as /uː/ s /ʊ/. Addi ionally,
Pa icipan 4 and Pa icipan 5 bo h s uggled wi h cap and cup (/kæp/ – /kʌp/) [/æ/ s
/ʌ/], as well as cook and co k (/kʊk/ – /kɔːk/) [/ʊ/ s /ɔː/]. On he o he hand, Pa icipan
4 and Pa icipan 6 made mis akes wi h hea and hi (/hiː / – /hɪ /), bea and bi (/biː / –
/bɪ /), and peak and pick (/piːk/ – /pɪk/), all o which in ol e he owel con as /iː/ s /ɪ/.
We can see ha Pa icipan 6 has spen he mos ime in a language school, in con as o
Pa icipan 5, who only a ended a ou -mon h in ensi e cou se. In e es ingly, pa icipan s
4 who s udied a a language school om he age o 12 o 14 made mo e mis akes. This
could be because hei p epa a ion was ocused on he Ap is English ce i ica e, which is
gene ally conside ed o be a lowe -le el quali ica ion compa ed o he Camb idge
examens. None heless, we obse e ha he pa icipan wi h he ewes e o s is he one
who has spen he mos ime in a language school and he only one in his g oup who wen
on an E asmus p og am.
In he C1 g oup, Pa icipan 8 made no mis akes a all. Fi s , i is impo an o
highligh ha Pa icipan 7 and Pa icipan 9 bo h made he same e o wi h caugh and
co (/kɔː / – /kɒ /), which in ol es he owel con as /ɔː/ s /ɒ/. Addi ionally, Pa icipan
9 also mixed up ool and ull (/ uːl/ – / ʊl/), showing di icul y wi h he /uː/ s /ʊ/ con as .
Al hough Pa icipan 8 achie ed a pe ec sco e, i is in e es ing o men ion ha she
lis ened o he eco ding se e al imes and ook longe o espond, which sugges s ha
21
she ound i somewha challenging and had o pause o hink ca e ully. Pa icipan 8 s ands
ou o ha ing made no mis akes, which could be a ibu ed o ha ing s a ed lea ning
English a he ea ly age o i e. Pa icipan 7, al hough ne e en olled in a language
school, sha es wi h Pa icipan 8 he expe ience o ha ing aken pa in an E asmus
p og amme. In con as , Pa icipan 9 is he one who made he mos e o s in he g oup;
unlike he o he s, he has no pa icipa ed in any in e na ional exchange, hough he has
a ended a language school. I is also wo h men ioning ha bo Pa icipan 7 and
Pa icipan 8 a e cu en ly s udying o a uni e si y deg ee in English S udies.
Finally, in he C2 g oup, Pa icipan 10 made only one mis ake, which happens o
be he same e o sha ed by all h ee pa icipan s: caugh and co (/kɔː / – /kɒ /), in ol ing
he owel con as /ɔː/ s /ɒ/. In addi ion, Pa icipan s 11 and 12 bo h made he same e o
wi h ool and ull (/ uːl/ – / ʊl/), showing di icul y wi h he /uː/ s /ʊ/ owel dis inc ion.
The esul s show ha he pa icipan who achie ed he bes esul in his g oup is he one
who bo h ook pa in an E asmus p og amme and a ended a language school. The mos
common e o s among all pa icipan s occu ed wi h he minimal pai s ool [ u:l] and ull
[ ʊl], as well as be ween hea [hiː ] and hi [hɪ ]. Nine pa icipan s made mis akes wi h
ool and ull, o en con using he owels. This con usion highligh s he di icul y lea ne s
ace wi h simila owel sounds and emphasizes he impo ance o ocusing on bo h he
pe cep ion and p oduc ion o hese owels.
Al hough I eco ded he ime each pa icipan ook o comple e he quiz, I couldn’
see any clea co ela ion be ween he pa icipan ’s le el and he ime spen on he quiz.
Howe e , I did obse e ha he pa icipan s who ook mo e ime we e he ones who, in
o de o check how he wo d is co ec ly p onounced, hey ied o p onounce i
hemsel es be o e deciding which wo d o selec . This sugges s ha hose who we e mo e
in ol ed in ac i ely checking he p onuncia ion we e likely o spend addi ional ime on
he ask.
3.2 Discussion (Compa ison wi h hypo heses and p e ious s udies)
The ollowing sec ion discusses he esul s ob ained om he pe cep ion es
adminis e ed o wel e Spanish-speaking pa icipan s wi h a ying le els on English
p o iciency. The da a is in e p e ed in ela ion o he esea ch ques ions and hypo heses
p esen ed ea lie .
22
Phonemes Mos Di icul o Pe cei e (RQ1)
The esul s e eal ha ce ain English owel con as s a e pa icula ly p oblema ic
o Spanish Speake s, suppo ing Hypo hesis 1. Among he mos equen ly misiden i ied
pai a e:
• /ʊ/ s /u:/ ( ull- ool), wi h e o s eco ded ac oss all p o iciency le els, including
C1 and C2.
• /ɪ/ s /i:/ (hi -hea ), which appea ed in he esponses o B2 and C1 pa icipan s.
These indings sugges ha owel con as in ol ing leng h, especially hose
absen in Spanish phonology a e mo e likely o esul in pe cep ual e o s.
In luence o P o iciency Le el (RQ2)
A clea co ela ion can be obse ed be ween highe English p o iciency and
imp o ed phonemes pe cep ion, con i ming Hypo hesis 2. Pa icipan s a he C1-C2 le el
sco ed be ween 33 and 36 co ec answe s ou o 36, wi h se e al p oducing only one o
ze o e o s. Fo example:
• Pa icipan 8 (C1) achie ed a pe ec sco e (36/36).
• Pa icipan 10 (C2) made only one mis ake (caugh -co )
In con as , B1-le el pa icipan s made be ween 5 and 9 e o s, indica ing ha
phonological pe cep ion imp o es signi ican ly wi h language de elopmen and
exposu e.
In luence o Age o Acquisi ion (RQ3)
Hypo hesis 3, which p oposes a posi i e e ec o ea lie exposu e o English, is
pa ially suppo ed. Fo example:
• Pa icipan 8 (C1), who began lea ning English a age 5, achie ed a pe ec sco e.
• Pa icipan 6 (B2), who s a ed be ween a age 8, made only 4 e o s.
• Pa icipan 1 (B1), who s a ed la e (a age 12), had 9 e o s.
While he pa e n indica es ha ea ly s a e s o en pe o m be e , o he ac o s
such as o e all p o iciency le el and ecen p ac ice also con ibu e o he ou come.
23
Yea s A ending a Language school (RQ4)
Hypo hesis 4 sugges ha pa icipan s wi h mo e yea s o a endance a a language
school will show highe pe cep ion accu acy o English owel sounds. This could be
a ibu ed o ac o s such as inc eased exposu e o he language, s uc u ed p ac ice, and
he oppo uni y o ecei e co ec i e eedback o e ime. Howe e , as he analysis in he
p e ious sec ion shows, while some pa icipan s wi h mo e ime in language schools
pe o med be e , he e we e also cases whe e he esul s did no necessa ily align wi h
he amoun o ime spen in o mal educa ion. This sugges s ha o he ac o s, such as he
quali y o he eaching, he ype o exposu e o he language (e.g., h ough in e na ional
p og ams like E asmus), and indi idual lea ning expe iences, may also play signi ican
oles in shaping owel sound pe cep ion accu acy.
While i seems likely ha ex ended ime in a language school could con ibu e o
a be e unde s anding o owel con as s, he e idence om he pa icipan s in his s udy
indica es ha i is no he sole de e mining ac o . The e o e, while Hypo hesis 4 is
suppo ed o some ex en , i is impo an o conside o he a iables ha could also
in luence he pe cep ion accu acy o English owel sounds.
Fo ins ance, Pa icipan 2 and Pa icipan 3 ha e he same numbe o yea s o
s udy and he di e ences in hei esul s may be due o ac o s such as mo i a ion,
exposu e, o pe sonal in e es in he language. In his case, since he s udy is ela i ely
small, we can ga he mo e in o ma ion abou he pa icipan s. These wo a e wins,
meaning hey ha e had he same oppo uni ies. Wha is in e es ing, howe e , is ha
despi e his, hei esul s di e signi ican ly; Pa icipan 2 sco ed 25 co ec answe s,
while Pa icipan 3 had 5 mis akes.
F om he in o ma ion p o ided by he pa icipan , we know ha Pa icipan 2 has
a job ha equi es he use o English o communica e wi h o eign colleagues, e en
hough he is a so wa e enginee . Addi ionally, he music he lis ens o is mos ly in English.
On he o he hand, Pa icipan 2 has no had any consis en con ac wi h English since he
le he language school. This con as in hei esul s can likely be explained by hese
di e ences in mo i a ion and exposu e.
I would say ha his hypo hesis hasn’ u ned ou as expec ed, as some pa icipan s
who ha e ne e a ended a language school ha e be e English skills and esul s han
o he who ha e. The e o e, I associa e hese di e ences wi h each pa icipan ’s
30
Table 5: Minimal pai s and IPA
11
Luke
/luːk/
12
Look
/lʊk/
13
Buck
/bʌk/
14
Back
/bæk/
15
Bu
/bʌ /
16
Ba
/bæ /
17
Cap
/kæp/
18
Cup
/kʌp/
19
Caugh
/kɔː /
20
Co
/kɑː /
21
Po
/pɔː /
22
Po
/pɑː /
23
Ve
/ ɛ /
24
Va
/ æ /
25
Heck
/hɛk/
26
Hack
/hæk/
27
Sa
/sæ /
28
Se
/sɛ /
29
Chick
/ ʃɪk/
30
Check
/ ʃɛk/
31
Table 5: Minimal pai s and IPA
31
Deck
/dɛk/
32
Dick
/dɪk/
33
Pick
/pɪk/
34
Peck
/pɛk/
35
Co k
/kɔː k/
36
Cook
/kʊk/
