Influential factors on the production of English /[voiceless dental fricative]/ by Japanese learners of English

This study investigates the linguistic and sociolinguistic factors which trigger high frequency of /s/-substitution (i.e. the substitution of /s/ for /[voiceless dental fricative]/) by Japanese-speaking learners of English. From the production experiment participated by 8 Japanese learners, it was found that /s/-substitution was more likely to occur in a stressed syllable before high vowels in a longer word, with /s/ in proximity, and in more spontaneous speech. The results of this study could be applied to pedagogical strategies to help Japanese learners overcome their pronunciation difficulties more efficiently. Adapted from the source document