• Cross-Cultural Studies
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• v.38
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• pp.461-500
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• 2015

This study aims to investigate the effective method to improve the competence of the Vocabulary by the image and listening towards the ELF. In the first part, we observed the problems and point improvement on learning vocabulary based on learner survey. In the second part, we analyzed two remarkable studies: - consistent and adapt method, communicational context - method based on the lexical, morphological semantical, notional and thematic field Then we proposed effective methods that are applicable to the vocabulary's learning in the class : - learning vocabulary by combining the words - learning vocabulary based on the meaning field - learning vocabulary as concrete characters - learning vocabulary by the descriptive character - learning vocabulary with the type "who am I?" - learning vocabulary by listening For teachers, one of the difficulties to the conduct of vocabulary course is that learners take passive position. Specifically, it is the teachers who play an important role because it runs in the direction of the course. However, learners do not show the active attitude for vocabulary lessons despite the course to take to improve their vocabulary skills. Therefore, teachers must prepare course materials that can both improve the competence of the vocabulary of learners and cause their interest or desire on the current vocabulary. This is why teachers should exploit various materials depending on the skill level of the learner vocabulary.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.27-36
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• 2014

This study provided longitudinal examination of the Chinese learners' acquisition of Korean vowels. Specifically, I examined the Chinese learners' Korean monophthongs /i, e, ɨ, ${\Lambda}$, a, u, o/ that were created at the time of 1 month and 12 months, tried to verify empirically how they learn by dealing with their mother tongue, and Korean vowels through dealing with pattern of the Perceptual Assimilation Model (henceforth PAM) of Best (Best, 1993; 1994; Best & Tyler, 2007) and the Speech Learning Model (henceforth SLM) of Flege (Flege, 1987; Bohn & Flege, 1992, Flege, 1995). As a result, most of the present results are shown to be similarly explained by the PAM and SLM, and the only discrepancy between these two models is found in the 'similar' category of sounds between the learners' native language and the target language. Specifically, the acquisition pattern of /u/ and /o/ in Korean is well accounted for the PAM, but not in the SLM. The SLM did not explain why the Chinese learners had difficulty in acquiring the Korean vowel /u/, because according to the SLM, the vowel /u/ in Chinese (the native language) is matched either to the vowel /u/ or /o/ in Korean (the target language). Namely, there is only a one-to-one matching relationship between the native language and the target language. In contrast, the Chinese learners' difficulty for the Korean vowel /u/ is well accounted for in the PAM in that the Chinese vowel /u/ is matched to the vowel pair /o, u/ in Korean, not the single vowel, /o/ or /u/.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.9-14
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• 2018

This study compared the relative contributions of intensity, F0, duration and vowel spectra of L2 English lexical stress by Japanese and Korean learners of English. Recordings of Japanese, Korean and native English speakers reading eighteen 2 to 4 syllable words in a carrier sentence were analyzed using multiple regression to investigate the influence of each acoustic correlate in determining whether a vowel was stressed. The relative contribution of each correlate was calculated by converting the coefficients to percentages. The Japanese learner group showed phonological transfer of L1 phonology to L2 lexical prosody and relied mostly on F0 and duration in manifesting L2 English stress. This is consistent with the results of the previous studies. However, advanced Japanese speakers in the group showed less reliance on F0, and more use of intensity, which is another parameter used in native English stress accents. On the other hand, there was little influence of F0 on L2 English stress by the Korean learners, probably due to the transfer of the Korean intonation pattern to L2 English prosody. Hence, this study shows that L1 transfer happens at the prosodic level for Japanese learners of English and at the intonational level for Korean learners.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.1 no.4
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• pp.47-59
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• 2009

The purpose of this paper is to propose an automatic evaluation technique for the prosodic aspect of an English sentence uttered by Korean speakers learning English. The underlying hypothesis is that the consistency of the manual prosody scoring is reflected in an imaginary space of prosody evaluation model constructed out of the three physical properties of the prosody considered in this paper, namely: the fundamental frequency (F0) contour, the intensity contour, and the segmental durations. The evaluation proceeds first by building a prosody evaluation model for the sentence. For the creation of the model, utterances from native speakers of English and Korean learners for the target sentence are manually scored by either native teachers of English or Korean phoneticians in terms of their prosody. Multiple native utterances from the manual scoring are selected as the "model" native utterances against which all the other Korean learners' utterances as well as the model utterances themselves can be semi-automatically evaluated by comparison in terms of the three prosodic aspects [7]. Each learner utterance, when compared to the multiple model native utterances, produces multiple coordinates in a three-dimensional space of prosody evaluation, each axis of which corresponds to the three prosodic aspects. The 3D coordinates from all the comparisons form a prosody evaluation model for the particular sentence and the associated manual scores can display regions of particular scores. The model can then be used as a predictive model against which other Korean utterances of the target sentence can be evaluated. The model from a Korean phonetician appears to support the hypothesis.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.111-121
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• 2015

The present study examines the auditory boundary between Korean /o/ and /u/ on a synthesized vowel continuum by Chinese learners of Korean language. Preceding researches reported that the Chinese learners have difficulty pronouncing Korean monophthongs /o/ and /u/. In this experiment, a nine-step continuum was resynthesized using Praat from a vowel token from a recording of a male announcer who produced it in isolated form. F1 and F2 were synchronously shifted in equal steps in qtone (quarter tone), while F3 and F4 values were held constant for the entire stimuli. A forced choice identification task was performed by the advanced learners who speak Mandarin Chinese as their native language. Their experiment data were compared to a Korean native group. ROC (Receiver Operating Characteristic) analysis and logistic regression were performed to estimate the perceptual boundary. The result indicated the learner group has a different auditory criterion on the continuum from the Korean native group. This suggests that more importance should be placed on hearing and listening training in order to acquire the phoneme categories of the two vowels.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.81-90
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• 2013

This study explored how Korean L2 learners of English utilize multiple acoustic cues (VOT and F0) in perceiving and producing the English alveolar stop with a voicing contrast. Thirty-four 18-year-old high-school students participated in the study. Their English proficiency level was classified as either 'high' (HEP) or 'low' (LEP) according to high-school English level standardization. Thirty different synthesized syllables were presented in audio stimuli by combining a 6-step VOTs and a 5-step F0s. The listeners judged how close the audio stimulus was to /t/ or /d/ in L2 using a visual analogue scale. The L2 /d/ and /t/ productions collected from the 22 learners (12 HEP, 10 LEP) were acoustically analyzed by measuring VOT and F0 at the vowel onset. Results showed that LEP listeners attended to the F0 in the stimuli more sensitively than HEP listeners, suggesting that HEP listeners could inhibit less important acoustic dimensions better than LEP listeners in their L2 perception. The L2 production patterns also exhibited a group-difference between HEP and LEP in that HEP speakers utilized their VOT dimension (primary cue in L2) more effectively than LEP speakers. Taken together, the study showed that the relative cue-weighting strategies in L2 perception and production are closely related to the learner's L2 proficiency level in that more proficient learners had a better control of inhibiting and enhancing the relevant acoustic parameters.

• Proceedings of the KSPS conference
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• 2007.05a
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• pp.71-73
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• 2007

The Purpose of the study is to give Korean-English leaners better knowledge on vowel sounds in their learning English. The traditional description of the cardinal vowel system developed by Daniel Johns in 1917 is not enough to provide English learners with clear ideas in producing native like vowel sounds. For the reason, three Korean-native subjects, one male, one female and one child are chosen to produce 7 cardinal vowels and compare them with native English and American speaker's vowel sounds. The difference of produced vowels sounds is quantified and visualized by employing Sona-match program. The results have been fairly remarkable. Firstly, Korean-English learner's vowel sounds are articulated differently from their intention of vowel production. Secondly, the tongue positions of Koreans are placed slightly more down and forward to the lips than those of English and Americans. However, the front vowel /i/ sound is quite close to English and Americans. Lastly the mid-vowel /${\partial}$/ sound is not produced in any articulations of Korean-native speakers. It is thought that the mid vowel, /${\partial}$/ is a type of a weak sound regarded as 'schwa' which needs a great deal of exposure to the language to acquire a physical skill of articulation.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.251-271
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• 2011

The present study analyzed Korean learners' production of English /z/-/$d{\Box}$/ and /z/-/${\Box}$/ contrasts in terms of native speaker judgments and acoustic measurements. Korean learner's production was judged to be either correct or incorrect by native English speakers. Correct and incorrect productions were then compared with productions of native speakers' in terms of acoustic analyses. The results indicated that Korean speakers' correct production was more similar to that of native speakers by sharing more acoustic cues. Incorrect production by Korean speakers indicated patterns either different or opposite from that of native speakers, confirming native speaker judgments. The results also revealed acoustic cues on which native speakers rely in judging L2 speech, thereby implying that the more consistent along with more number of acoustic cues used by native speakers may facilitate the acquisition of segment contrasts by L2 learners.

• MALSORI
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• no.42
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• pp.47-56
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• 2001

이 글은 제2회 서울 국제 음성학 학술대회(SICOPS 2000) 기조강연 내용을 조금 손질한 것인데, 한국인 영어 학습자가 저지르기 쉬운 발음상 잘못을 모음, 자음별로 관찰하고 그 대책을 논의한다. 모음에서는 주로 i:l, u:$-\sigma$, (equation omitted) 흔동이 문제이며, 또한 90종이 넘는 여러 철자로 나타나는 쭉정모음(schwa) 식별과 정복한 발음도 큰 문제다. 자음에서는 음소 연결방식에서 생기는 자음접변 둥 한 국어 특유 현상을 영어에까지 연장하는 바람에 많은 오류가 생긴다는 것과 영어 sp-, st-, sk-에서 /p t k/는 연한소리(lenis)로 [(equation omitted)]인데, 된소리로 잘못알고 있는 수가 많다는 것도 지적된다. 무룻 영어학습자는 철자만 보고 발음을 속단하지 말고 단어마다 반드시 발음을 사전에서 확인할 것과 아울러 거기에 음성학적 훈련이 수반되어야 함을 역설하며, 정확한 발음을 아는 것은 실제 영어 청취i구사에 뿐 아니라 또한 언어연구 기초확립에 필수적이라는 말로 글을 맺는다.

• Proceedings of the KSPS conference
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• 2000.07a
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• pp.96-104
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• 2000

The Bodysonic system was invented on the basis of 'Bone Conduction Theory,' which states that people feel sounds with their whole body. The Bodysonic system is used for L2 (English) learning at Aichi Women's Junior College. In recent years we have developed some unique methodology related to use of the Bodysonic system. In Japan it is difficult for adult L2 learners to acquire the prosody of a foreign language. A language laboratory using the Bodysonic system has been suggested as one way to eradicate such adult L2 problems. The Bodysonic system changes sounds into vibrations. It makes it easy for learners to acquire the prosody of a foreign language because humans can convey information, through their tactile organs. In addition, this system was originally designed to make people relax, so it can also help minimize learner anxiety. The effect of Bodysonic vibrations on language learning has already been proven by some experiments. The Bodysonic system appears to be an ideal teaching method for adult to learn a foreign language.