The perception of gemination in Italian by first-language speakers in Italy and heritage and second-language speakers in Australia
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: This study investigates the perception of the consonant length distinction in Italian by first-language (L1), heritage (HS) and second-language (L2) speakers in Australia. We wished to investigate whether Italian HS and L2 speakers perceive gemination differently from L1 Italian speakers and determine if there are any differences between these groups. We conducted a perceptual experiment based on the identification of word-medial geminates in three minimal pairs (/'papa/-/'pappa/, /'fata/-/'fatta/, /'paka/-/'pakka/) by three speaker groups: Italian L1, L2, and HS. Results show that while L1 listeners have a solid perceptual awareness of singletons versus geminates based on consonant and vowel duration and the associated C/V ratio, HS and L2 show much less reliance on these cues. At the same time, HS appear to perceive the singleton-geminate contrast differently from both Italian L1 and L2, falling somewhere in between, a result consistent with their level of exposure to Italian (less than L1 and more than L2) over their lifetimes.
Source: Phonetica
Authors: Valentina De Iacovo, Angelo Dian, John Hajek
Institutions: University of Turin, The University of Melbourne
Language: English
Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $2,712
Funder: Università degli Studi di Torino
OpenAlex ID: W4414900214