Acoustic variation and lexical acquisition

This study examined how acoustic variation affects second language (L2) lexical acquisition in consideration of four hypotheses: degraded input, elaborative processing, independent modulation, and robust versus strong connectivity. Absolute beginners in L2 Spanish attempted to learn 24 Spanish words. Each word was presented in 1 of 3 degrees of acoustic variation: no variation (6 repetitions of neutral only), moderate variation (2 repetitions each of neutral, loud, and whispered), and strong variation (1 repetition each of neutral, loud, whispered, excited, childlike, and nasal). Immediate and delayed lexical production posttests were administered. Scores were submitted to an analysis of variance. No significant differences between the learning conditions were observed. The results are interpreted based on two approaches, one modular and one interactive.