Fix your vowels: Computer-assisted training by Dutch learners of Spanish

It is common knowledge that foreign learners struggle when it comes to producing the sounds of the target language accurately. Research in L2 speech acquisition has shown that in order to achieve native-like production of sounds in a foreign language, the learner must first become proficient in perceiving these sounds. That is, if Dutch listeners perceive Spanish vowel sounds through their first language categories, they are likely to produce them through their L1 categories, i.e. in a non-native way, thus with a foreign accent. This study analyses the effect of the vowel training programme Fix your vowels on the production of Spanish vowels by native speakers of Dutch. The findings confirm that computer training exerts a positive effect on the production of Spanish vowels and that this effect is also related to the desire to acquire a native accent.