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This module will examine the development of speech perception and speech production during second language acquisition. It will review: experimental methods used for testing speech perception and production, interference between first- and second-language phonetics and phonology, changes in first-language processing resulting from second-language learning, explanations for the decline in plasticity with age, comparisons with early bilingualism, comparisons with first-language acquisition, comparisons with other examples of adult plasticity (e.g., stroke recovery, acclimatization to a cochlear implant), effects of learning more than two languages, links between perception and production, effects of auditory processing vs. linguistic categorization, effects of noise and hearing impairment on second-language speech perception, and training methods for second-language speech learning.

Through this module, you are expected to develop knowledge and understanding of: the experimental paradigms that are suitable for studying speech perception and production in second language learners, the theoretical models that are prevalent in this field, the most significant recent experimental studies in this field, current issues and controversies in speech perception/production learning, and 'hot topics' in this field in the next decade. It will also give you experience in analyzing speech and conducting perceptual experiments.