Effects of Phonological Short-Term Memory on the Sound Reproduction Skills of Japanese Students of English as a Foreign Language

Abstract

This study investigates whether phonological short-term memory (PSTM) as a language learning aptitude can predict the second language (L2) pronunciation skills of Japanese students of English as a Foreign Language (EFL). This study examines the effects of PSTM on a large sample of non-Indo-European language speakers, considers both verbal and acoustic aspects of PSTM, and employs L2 pronunciation variables focusing on sound reproduction skills by excluding the effects of L2 vocabulary and grammar knowledge. A total of 215 students participated in this study, and the results show that PSTM has significant positive effects on L2 sound reproduction skills.