Percepção das vogais “ɛ” e “æ” na língua inglesa por brasileiros adultos e crianças

Abstract

This research investigates the phonetic-phonological acquisition of English by native speakers of Brazilian Portuguese, more precisely with regard to the perception of the vowels ɛ/ and /æ/. The objective was to test the identification and discrimination skills of these vowels in two groups of participants with different ages: (1) children who have or had access to the language in the early years or who attend language schools; and (2) adults who had initial contact with the English language only when entering university, as adults. The starting point of this study is the understanding that the learner's age influences the perception of vowels that are not part of the vowel system of their native language. As theoretical support, studies in the area of phonetic-phonological acquisition of L2 were followed (ALVES, 2012; BIALYSTOK, 2004; CRISTÓFARO SILVA, 2015; FLEGE, 1991; 1996; 2003; RAUBER, 2006; ZIMMER, 2006;). To carry out the research, two perception tests were applied, a perception test with discrimination and another with identification, using the TP software “Perception Tests/T rainings” by Rauber at. al. 2012. Results indicate that Brazilian native speakers learning tends to present difficulties in perceiving sounds that do not belong to their native language and that children with access to the language before the age of 10 find it easier to identify and perceive these sounds.