This dissertation examined the roles of the distinctive feature of vowel height and the nondistinctive features of duration, word-final [t] and [d], and attention to speech in promoting L1 German speakers, production of the Short A and E contrast. Short A and E are the vowels in the words bat and bet . The L1 German speakers, production of the English Short A and E contrast was also examined to determine whether the speakers had learned the phonemes Short A and E.
The subjects of this study are 20 L1 German speakers in Germany who had studied English for a mean of eight years. These subjects produced Short A and E words ending in /t/ and /d/ in a word list, a reading passage and a word game task. The words were recorded, judged for accuracy by native English listeners and measured for height and duration.
The research questions were: (1) Do L1 German speakers produce a contrast between Short A and E? (2) Does the distinctive feature of vowel height promote L1 German speakers' production of the English Short A and E contrast? and (3) Do the nondistinctive features of vowel duration, the voicing of the following segment, and attention paid to speech promote L1 German speakers' production of the English Short A and E contrast?
The L1 German speakers who had studied English for a mean of eight years did not produce a contrast between Short A and E in minimal pairs. The role of vowel height was affirmed in promoting the L1 German speakers, production of the Short A and E contrast. The roles of vowel duration and word-final [t] and [d] were found to promote the L1 German speakers' production of the Short A and E contrast. Attention to speech was not shown to promote the Li German speakers' production of the English Short A and E contrast.
