抄録
In recent years, the number of applications of synthesized speech software in the English language classroom has increased. The use of text-to-speech (TTS) synthesized technology is expected to shed light on the dearth of spoken English input for learners in Japan. However, it still remains unclear whether synthetic speech has similar learning effects to natural human speech for effectively learning a second language. This study investigated auditory word priming in 80 Japanese English as a foreign language (EFL) learners. Vocal repetition data was used to measure perceptual learning. The results revealed that by focusing more on a perceptual dimension, (1) there was significantly greater learning when natural human speech was used. However, when synthetic speech was used, (2) the lower proficiency group showed a sufficient level of learning. Also, when synthetic speech was used, (3) significantly greater learning occurred within the higher proficiency group when the focus was more on a higher-level dimension (i.e., a semantic dimension). Further research is required to apply the results to English language education in Japan, although the results support the application of synthetic speech as an effective tool to increase perceptual learning in Japanese EFL students.
