ARUZHAN ZHUMAGELDINA (UNIVERSITY OF TSUKUBA)

EXPLORING THE INFLUENCE OF MUSICAL APTITUDE AND NATIVE LANGUAGE ON ENGLISH SEGMENTAL PRONUNCIATION : SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION AND LITERACY DEVELOPMENT

Foreign language pronunciation is influenced by various internal and external factors, including musical aptitude and native language. Musical aptitude refers to inherent sensitivity to musical and speech sounds, while the native language impacts learners’ perception and production of foreign language sounds and intonation. This study investigated the effect of both factors on the English segmental pronunciation of Russian and Japanese native speakers, given the distinct rhythmic patterns of these languages, and aimed to determine which factor had a stronger influence. Using a comparative approach, the study assessed musical aptitude utilizing the standardized Seashore Musical Aptitude Test, and English pronunciation proficiency employing the Elicited Imitation method focusing on sentences containing the most challenging phonemes for both language groups. The results revealed that Japanese native speakers excelled in musical aptitude test, while Russian native speakers performed better in English segmental pronunciation. These findings suggest that musical aptitude, although beneficial for certain auditory skills, does not necessarily translate to improved pronunciation of English segmentals, challenging prior research indicating a positive correlation. The data indicates that native language exerts a more significant influence on mastering English segmental features than musical aptitude. The phonetic characteristics of Russian language provide a stronger foundation for acquisition of English segmentals. This supports the initial hypothesis of this study, as the rhythmic similarities between Russian and English facilitate better performance in English vowel and coda pronunciation compared to Japanese native speakers.

Aruzhan Zhumageldina, a Master's student in English Language Education program at the University of Tsukuba, researchers foreign language pronunciation acquisition, mainly the effects of various factors on it. Her work includes a peer-reviewed article on the impact of musical aptitude on English suprasegmental skills of Kazakh-Russian bilinguals