Abstract

Speech motor learning involves the production of new sounds or sound sequences. This study investigated how explicit phonetic knowledge and bilingualism affect how individuals acquire sound sequences that do not occur in English, or non-native consonant clusters. Sixty adults with typical speech, aged between 18 and 27 years, participated in the experiment. The researcher recruited participants into four groups based on their phonetic background (experienced or not) and language background (monolingual, bilingual). The participants produced stop-stop and fricative-nasal clusters in the initial position of nonsense words across six practice blocks. The duration of each cluster was measured, which in English speakers often includes an inserted schwa between the consonants. Statistical analysis revealed that phonetic training significantly reduced the stop-stop cluster duration. Phonetically trained individuals demonstrated shorter durations at baseline compared to untrained individuals. Only the phonetically trained group improved cluster duration through practice. Language experience did not significantly influence cluster duration or learning. Explicit phonetic understanding of speech production provides essential knowledge that improves baseline performance and accelerates motor learning. These results suggest that speech-language pathologists should consider explicitly teaching the mechanics of speech production to help clients and patients learn speech sounds.

Degree

MS

College and Department

David O. McKay School of Education; Communication Disorders

Rights

https://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/

Date Submitted

2026-05-20

Document Type

Thesis

Keywords

phonetics, bilingualism, speech motor learning, consonant clusters, articulation

Language

english

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