Voice Onset Times of Voiceless Stops by Bilingual Korean-English Children: Phonetic Acquisition and Sociolinguistic Preferences

In a case study of 11 y.o. L1 Korean L2 English siblings, voice onset time (VOT) of word-initial voiceless stops was examined for native-like L2 production, as well as sociophonetic variation of VOTs by cultural index. Language learners initially transfer their L1 phonology to their L2 during acquisition and may develop intermediary features before native-like attainment (Flege, 1995). Prior studies show that early bilingual children more often acquire native-like L2 VOTs than later childhood bilinguals (Stölten et al., 2015). Additionally, bilinguals with pragmatic competence might demonstrate cultural index by manipulation of L2 phonology, including VOTs (Thomas, 2010). This study investigated the acquisition of native-like English VOTs by Korean-speaking children, and the variation of their L2 VOTs by cultural index. Participants were interviewed using leading questions containing stimuli beginning with voiceless stops and known cultural indexes. In addition, possible differences between the siblings, who were twins, were considered. Surprisingly, results indicated that the twins differed in their development. Both children produced average VOTs within native-speaker ranges, but one child's VOT ranges seemed to indicate intermediary development. Different VOTs were observed between her cultural indexes. These later child bilinguals attained native-like L2 VOTs and may have demonstrated L2 sociophonetic variation VOTs.