The perception and production of English plosives by Estonian learners of English

Abstract

The aim of this thesis is to test the ability of Estonian EFL students to produce and perceive English plosives. The thesis is divided into two chapters. The first chapter outlines the theoretical background of English and Estonian plosive production, L2 phoneme acquisition models, and introduces previous research in EFL/ESL plosive production and perception. The second chapter includes the description of participants, the designs of the pronunciation and perception tests, methods of analysis, and a discussion of the results. The conclusion summarizes the key findings of the thesis. Keywords: EFL, English pronunciation, English perception, phonetics, plosives, VOT