Perception of voicing in English word-final obstruents by Malay speakers of English: Examining the Perceptual Assimilation Model

Abstract

This paper reports the findings of a perception experiment that examined the relative difficulty Malay speakers of English face in distinguishing voicing contrasts in English word-final obstruents /t/-/d/, /s/-/z/ and /f/-/v/. The study is discussed within the framework of the Perceptual Assimilation Model (PAM), which predicts the level of difficulty in discriminating non-native sounds based on how they are categorized in relation to native phonological systems. The results show a hierarchy of difficulty, with /s/-/z/ being the most difficult contrast and /t/-/d/ the easiest. Overall, the findings largely support the predictions of PAM and highlight the influence of first language phonology on second language speech perception.