A model based on F1F2 values for native and non-native speakers' spontaneous speech

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How similar vowel qualities produced by native English speakers and Japanese learners of English are presented. Vowels produced by these two types of speakers are analyzed with measurements of formant values. These formants, F1 and F2, correspond to height and position of a tongue. In a way, these acoustic features are strongly connected to features of location of tongues in articulation. On the bases of language perception theories, it is estimated that people's auditory system is sensitive to changes in formant frequencies. Japanese learners of English perceive and discriminate five vowels of their own native language. When they perceive and discriminate vowels of English, they may not do that in the same way with Japanese language but they might do that in a similar way. According to this way of thinking, we can not say that there are similarities in vowel qualities perceived and produced between native English speakers and Japanese learners of English, except the cases that what is perceived and produced are features of formant values. These formants are produced within vowel spaces. It is expected that vowel spaces are used similarly when English is spoken either by native English speakers or Japanese learners of English. To conclude the results of four experiments conducted in this study, a model based on F1F2 values for native speakers of English and Japanese learners of English are tentatively proposed.