Hur finskspråkiga uppfattar svenskans vokaler : en studie i kontrastiv fonetik med naturligt och syntetiskt tal

Sammanfattning: The study involves tests on the perception by speakers of Finnish of vowel sounds in natural speech in four important varieties of standard Swedish and as produced by an OVE III synthesizer.The contrastive analysis takes the form of experiments to reveal the divisions of the vowel space in Swedish and Finnish. Perceptually optimal areas and the diffuse zones in the vowel space are contrasted. On the basis of these tests predictions are made concerning second language perceptual problems.The contrastive relations of the vowel sounds in Swedish and Finnish are further illuminated by perceptual tests to study the inherent tendency of speakers of Finnish to confuse certain Swedish vowels. The distribution of the phonemic reactions of speakers of Finnish not knowing Swedish are taken as material for an error analysis relevant to the time of starting to learn Swedish. A number of phonemically long vowel sounds were discovered to cause problems of identification for Finnish listeners. These are / y:/, /in:/, /e:/, / e :/, /#:/, and /o:/. A comparison of the predictions and actual confusions shows a high degree of correlation.Finnish vowel harmony was found to be a factor influencing the responses of Finns to Swedish vowels. The responses to combinations of vowels not complying with the vowel harmony rules contained an increased proportion of confusions leading to harmony-compatible or neutral vowels. Also the vowel qualities which were in an intermediate position in the vowel space in relation to the Finnish vowels tended to be influenced by assimilation or sequential contrast.The perceptual interference properties of the mother tongue in the perception of the vowel qualities as illuminated by the results of the perceptual test are discussed.Certain didactic conclusions are drawn concerning the problems experienced by speakers of Finnish in the identification and also the production of the Swedish vowels. Gestures of lip position and its contrastive perceptual effects are noted to be of especial importance in the learning of the vowel qualities of Swedish by Finns.