| This thesis reports two experiments investigating basic processing involved in word recognition in second language (L2) readers of English. The investigation specifically centred on phonological and metaphonological processes in the context of language transfer from first to second languages during reading tasks.;Experiment One investigated the phonological awareness skills of L2 learners in the contest of specific phonological elements present in the second language but absent in the native language. The phonological structure forming the basis for this examination of language transfer effects is the word-initial consonant cluster, since clustered onsets are absent in Japanese but present in English. Adult native speakers of Japanese of low intermediate proficiency in English and a native-English-speaking control group were assessed on their accuracy and response latency in the deletion of specific phonemes from pseudowords; specifically, the first and second members of word initial consonant clusters as well as the first consonant from CVC strings. To control for general L2 effects, adult speakers of Russian served as an L2 control group, since clusters are present in Russian. Two alternative interpretations are offered for the Japanese speakers' poorer performance relative to Russian- and English-speakers: (1) that the Japanese were using syllable rather than segmental representations, and (2) that the segmental representations constructed by the Japanese were subject to decay in working memory. No significant differences appeared between Russians and native speakers of English.;In Experiment Two, the L2 groups were matched for English word reading and then compared on a number of reading-related cognitive and linguistic tasks, including nonword reading, working memory, phonological awareness and three tasks tapping orthographic knowledge. The Russians outperformed the Japanese; on the phonological awareness measure, but the Japanese were more successful at identifying legitimate English spelling patterns than the Russians. Despite these differences in processing strengths, neither group demonstrated an advantage in nonword reading. These results have implications for theories of reading disability built around the notion of deficits in phonological processing, specifically at the level of phonological representation, since certain L2 groups may manifest phonological processing profiles similar to those of reading disabled individuals. |
