Speech Material

Pronunciation problems of non-native learners learning Japanese as L2 are usually not addressed by language teachers, but by specially trained linguistic expert (speech therapist). With the cooperation of a linguistic expert, we prepared eight kinds of pronunciation, which are known as the ones that non-native learners of Japanese have much difficulty in pronouncing, are prepared as below[25]. Speech samples were collected from eight male learners of Japanese from different countries (see Table 2.3). Each learner read the P-set of thirty words. The speech material was orthographically transcribed.

TYPE 1

/u/ /o/ distinction
tsukue (desk) mokuteki (purpose)

TYPE 2

/sh/ /s/ distinction
shiNyou (trust) moushikomu (propose)
shurui (kind) shourai (future)
gakusei (student) yakusoku (promise)

TYPE 3

/j/ /z/ distinction
jikoku (time) ojigi (bow) jitsuryoku (ability)
tazuneru (visit) guuzeN (accidentally) zeNbu (all)
chikazuku (approach) katazukeru (dispose)

TYPE 4

Semi-vowel
yuubiN (mail) yoyuu (margin)

TYPE 5

Consonant after a mora obstruent
kekkyoku (after all) gekkyuu (salary)

TYPE 6

Voiced consonant /g/ and /gy/
kagayaku (shine) hogaraka (cheerful)
gyougi (manners) kougyou (industry)

TYPE 7

Voiceless sound after /N/
aNshiN (relief) kiNchou (tension) shiNkou (faith)

TYPE 8

Voiceless sound between vowels
ichigatsu (January) shochi (treatment)
shuukyou (religion)