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The Perception of Korean Stop Coda Consonants by Mandarin Speakers in Taiwan: A Comparative Study of Proficiency Levels

Shu-Wei Yang, Jung-yueh Tu

Seoul National University National Chengchi University

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Analyze this Interspeech 2026 paper now: "The Perception of Korean Stop Coda Consonants by Mandarin Speakers in Taiwan: A Comparative Study of Proficiency Levels" (ID: yang26q_interspeech). Lead with a useful explanation of its mechanism and significance, not a digest restatement or an upfront clarification question. Complete the analysis below using the evidence you can access.

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Wiki: https://interspeech-2026-wiki.vercel.app/papers/yang26q_interspeech/
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## Paper metadata and wiki digest

```markdown
---
id: yang26q_interspeech
title: "The Perception of Korean Stop Coda Consonants by Mandarin Speakers in
  Taiwan: A Comparative Study of Proficiency Levels"
authors:
  - Shu-Wei Yang
  - Jung-yueh Tu
year: 2026
doi: 10.21437/Interspeech.2026-3292
isca_url: https://www.isca-archive.org/interspeech_2026/yang26q_interspeech.html
pdf_url: https://www.isca-archive.org/interspeech_2026/yang26q_interspeech.pdf
session: Perception and Appraisal of Prosody
topics:
  - phonetics
  - speech-perception
  - low-resource
category: phonetics-linguistics
labels:
  - multilingual
institutions:
  - Seoul National University
  - National Chengchi University
code:
  url: ""
  license: ""
open_to_collaboration: false
wiki_frontmatter:
  id: yang26q_interspeech
  category: phonetics-linguistics
  labels:
    - multilingual
  institutions:
    - Seoul National University
    - National Chengchi University
  updated: 2026-09-29
  confidence: full-paper
  digest: v2
  source: https://doi.org/10.21437/Interspeech.2026-3292
  pdf: https://www.isca-archive.org/interspeech_2026/yang26q_interspeech.pdf
wiki_url: https://interspeech-2026-wiki.vercel.app/papers/yang26q_interspeech/
markdown_url: https://interspeech-2026-wiki.vercel.app/papers/yang26q_interspeech/markdown.md
---

# The Perception of Korean Stop Coda Consonants by Mandarin Speakers in Taiwan: A Comparative Study of Proficiency Levels

*Shu-Wei Yang, Jung-yueh Tu*

[PDF](https://www.isca-archive.org/interspeech_2026/yang26q_interspeech.pdf) · [ISCA page](https://www.isca-archive.org/interspeech_2026/yang26q_interspeech.html) · [DOI](https://doi.org/10.21437/Interspeech.2026-3292)

**Category:** `phonetics-linguistics` · **Labels:** `multilingual`

**TL;DR** — This study investigates how Taiwan Mandarin speakers perceive Korean unreleased stop codas (/p, t, k/), revealing an accuracy hierarchy of /p/ > /t/ > /k/ that is heavily modulated by preceding vowel context but unaffected by intermediate course-based proficiency.

## Key contributions

- Identifies a clear perceptual accuracy hierarchy (/p/ > /t/ > /k/) for Korean unreleased stop codas among Taiwan Mandarin-speaking learners.
- Demonstrates that preceding vowel contexts (/i, u, a/) systematically alter both identification accuracy and the direction of place-of-articulation confusions.
- Shows that course-based proficiency (beginner vs. intermediate) yields no significant difference in stop-coda identification accuracy, pointing toward a potential perceptual plateau.
- Provides a direct cross-modal comparison mapping these perceptual confusion matrices against known production error profiles from prior literature.

## Problem

Taiwan Mandarin-speaking learners of Korean struggle persistently with perceiving and producing Korean stop codas (/p, t, k/), which are obligatorily unreleased and contrast only in place of articulation. Because Taiwan Mandarin permits only nasal codas (/n, ŋ/) and lacks oral stop codas entirely, learners face a cross-linguistic structural mismatch. This gap causes lexical confusion and forces learners to rely heavily on subphonemic, vowel-conditioned coarticulatory cues rather than established L1 phonological categories.

## Method

The experiment utilized a four-alternative forced-choice coda identification task implemented in OpenSesame (v3.3.9). The stimulus set consisted of monosyllabic Korean items crossing three preceding vowels (/i, u, a/) with three stop codas (/p, t, k/) and a filler liquid coda (/l/), yielding 12 unique syllables spoken by one male and one female native Seoul Korean speaker (selected via dictation check from eight candidates). Thirty participants (17 beginners, 13 intermediate learners) listened to tokens over headphones and selected the perceived coda consonant from four on-screen options ('ㄹ' /l/, 'ㅂ' /p/, 'ㄷ' /t/, 'ㄱ' /k/).

Statistical analyses evaluated participant-level accuracy using Friedman tests followed by paired Wilcoxon signed-rank tests with Holm correction, while between-group proficiency differences were tested via Wilcoxon rank-sum tests. To analyze response distributions, vowel-by-response chi-square tests of independence with Holm-adjusted p-values were conducted within each stop-coda target, excluding sparse /l/ filler responses.

## Experimental setup

The study evaluated 30 Taiwan Mandarin speakers (17 beginners in TOPIK Level 1-aligned courses, 13 intermediate learners in TOPIK Level 2-4-aligned courses) minoring in Korean at National Chengchi University. Stimuli comprised 24 tokens total (12 syllable types multiplied by 2 native Seoul Korean talkers). Metrics included percentage identification accuracy and response distribution percentages across target-coda by vowel-context cells, analyzed via non-parametric inferential statistics (Friedman, Wilcoxon, and chi-square tests).

## Results

Collapsed across vowel contexts, learners demonstrated a significant overall accuracy hierarchy of /p/ > /t/ > /k/ (Friedman χ²(2) = 36.07, p < .001; all pairwise comparisons p ≤ .006). Preceding vowel context significantly modulated response distributions for all targets: /p/ was identified most accurately in /i/ and /u/, but in the /a/ context was frequently misperceived as /t/ (26.7% of responses); /t/ was most accurately identified in /a/ (65.0%) and shifted from being misperceived as /p/ after /i/ to being misperceived as /k/ after /a/ and /u/; and /k/ showed the lowest accuracy overall (ranging from 20.0% to 26.7%), being misidentified primarily as /t/ after /i/ and as /p/ after /a/ and /u/ (chi-square Holm-adjusted p < .05 for all targets). Proficiency group showed no statistically significant effect on accuracy for /p/ (p = .5891), /t/ (p = .2591), or /k/ (p = .5923), indicating no reliable performance boost between beginner and intermediate course levels.

| System / Condition | /i/ Context Accuracy | /a/ Context Accuracy | /u/ Context Accuracy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taiwan Learners (/p/) | 88.3% | 61.7% | 76.7% |
| Taiwan Learners (/t/) | 41.7% | 65.0% | 61.7% |
| Taiwan Learners (/k/) | 20.0% | 26.7% | 20.0% |
| Seoul Natives ([7], /p/) | 89.6% | 97.9% | 84.7% |
| Seoul Natives ([7], /t/) | 84.7% | 93.1% | 95.8% |
| Seoul Natives ([7], /k/) | 85.4% | 93.8% | 70.8% |

## Limitations

The study relies on a cross-sectional design with course-based instructional groupings (beginner vs. intermediate) rather than standardized proficiency exams like TOPIK. The participant sample is restricted to 30 Taiwan Mandarin speakers at a single Taiwanese university, and the stimulus set is limited to two talkers and a subset of vowel contexts (/i, u, a/), limiting broader acoustic generalization.

## Why read this

Speech researchers and L2 acquisition engineers should read this paper to understand how cross-linguistic phonological inventory gaps and vowel-to-closure coarticulatory transitions drive asymmetric perceptual confusions in non-native stop codas. It provides concrete evidence of a perceptual plateau in intermediate language learners, underscoring why general exposure fails to resolve subphonemic acoustic ambiguities without targeted perceptual training.

## Code

None released (as of this page's `updated` date). If you are an author with a repo, please claim this entry — see CONTRIBUTING.md.

## Applications

Design of computer-assisted pronunciation training (CAPT) software and targeted perceptual training curricula for L2 Korean learners focusing on vowel-conditioned stop-coda minimal pairs.

## Institutions / 機構

Seoul National University, National Chengchi University

## Related

- [Perception of English /iː/–/ɪ/ by Japanese Listeners under Silent-Centre and Devoiced Vowel Conditions](tokuma26_interspeech.md) — same problem · relatedness 1.8/3
- [Lexical stress-conditioned spatiotemporal gestural coordination in L2 English](mcguire26_interspeech.md) — relatedness 1.7/3
- [Vowel Allophony Improves Maximum-Likelihood Classification of Warlpiri Consonants](cram26_interspeech.md) — relatedness 1.7/3
- [Categorical Perception of Mandarin Tones in Jingpo Native Speakers](wang26z_interspeech.md) — relatedness 1.5/3
- [Achieving voicelessness in coda stop contexts: Insights from combined electroglottography and laryngoscopy](penney26_interspeech.md) — relatedness 1.5/3

<sub>All 950k paper pairs scored by TypeSafe Jev (`scripts/related/`); relatedness 0 = unrelated … 3 = directly comparable.</sub>
```

TL;DR — This study investigates how Taiwan Mandarin speakers perceive Korean unreleased stop codas (/p, t, k/), revealing an accuracy hierarchy of /p/ > /t/ > /k/ that is heavily modulated by preceding vowel context but unaffected by intermediate course-based proficiency.

Key contributions

Identifies a clear perceptual accuracy hierarchy (/p/ > /t/ > /k/) for Korean unreleased stop codas among Taiwan Mandarin-speaking learners.
Demonstrates that preceding vowel contexts (/i, u, a/) systematically alter both identification accuracy and the direction of place-of-articulation confusions.
Shows that course-based proficiency (beginner vs. intermediate) yields no significant difference in stop-coda identification accuracy, pointing toward a potential perceptual plateau.
Provides a direct cross-modal comparison mapping these perceptual confusion matrices against known production error profiles from prior literature.

Problem

Taiwan Mandarin-speaking learners of Korean struggle persistently with perceiving and producing Korean stop codas (/p, t, k/), which are obligatorily unreleased and contrast only in place of articulation. Because Taiwan Mandarin permits only nasal codas (/n, ŋ/) and lacks oral stop codas entirely, learners face a cross-linguistic structural mismatch. This gap causes lexical confusion and forces learners to rely heavily on subphonemic, vowel-conditioned coarticulatory cues rather than established L1 phonological categories.

Method

The experiment utilized a four-alternative forced-choice coda identification task implemented in OpenSesame (v3.3.9). The stimulus set consisted of monosyllabic Korean items crossing three preceding vowels (/i, u, a/) with three stop codas (/p, t, k/) and a filler liquid coda (/l/), yielding 12 unique syllables spoken by one male and one female native Seoul Korean speaker (selected via dictation check from eight candidates). Thirty participants (17 beginners, 13 intermediate learners) listened to tokens over headphones and selected the perceived coda consonant from four on-screen options ('ㄹ' /l/, 'ㅂ' /p/, 'ㄷ' /t/, 'ㄱ' /k/).

Statistical analyses evaluated participant-level accuracy using Friedman tests followed by paired Wilcoxon signed-rank tests with Holm correction, while between-group proficiency differences were tested via Wilcoxon rank-sum tests. To analyze response distributions, vowel-by-response chi-square tests of independence with Holm-adjusted p-values were conducted within each stop-coda target, excluding sparse /l/ filler responses.

Experimental setup

The study evaluated 30 Taiwan Mandarin speakers (17 beginners in TOPIK Level 1-aligned courses, 13 intermediate learners in TOPIK Level 2-4-aligned courses) minoring in Korean at National Chengchi University. Stimuli comprised 24 tokens total (12 syllable types multiplied by 2 native Seoul Korean talkers). Metrics included percentage identification accuracy and response distribution percentages across target-coda by vowel-context cells, analyzed via non-parametric inferential statistics (Friedman, Wilcoxon, and chi-square tests).

Results

Collapsed across vowel contexts, learners demonstrated a significant overall accuracy hierarchy of /p/ > /t/ > /k/ (Friedman χ²(2) = 36.07, p < .001; all pairwise comparisons p ≤ .006). Preceding vowel context significantly modulated response distributions for all targets: /p/ was identified most accurately in /i/ and /u/, but in the /a/ context was frequently misperceived as /t/ (26.7% of responses); /t/ was most accurately identified in /a/ (65.0%) and shifted from being misperceived as /p/ after /i/ to being misperceived as /k/ after /a/ and /u/; and /k/ showed the lowest accuracy overall (ranging from 20.0% to 26.7%), being misidentified primarily as /t/ after /i/ and as /p/ after /a/ and /u/ (chi-square Holm-adjusted p < .05 for all targets). Proficiency group showed no statistically significant effect on accuracy for /p/ (p = .5891), /t/ (p = .2591), or /k/ (p = .5923), indicating no reliable performance boost between beginner and intermediate course levels.

System / Condition	/i/ Context Accuracy	/a/ Context Accuracy	/u/ Context Accuracy
Taiwan Learners (/p/)	88.3%	61.7%	76.7%
Taiwan Learners (/t/)	41.7%	65.0%	61.7%
Taiwan Learners (/k/)	20.0%	26.7%	20.0%
Seoul Natives ([7], /p/)	89.6%	97.9%	84.7%
Seoul Natives ([7], /t/)	84.7%	93.1%	95.8%
Seoul Natives ([7], /k/)	85.4%	93.8%	70.8%

Limitations

The study relies on a cross-sectional design with course-based instructional groupings (beginner vs. intermediate) rather than standardized proficiency exams like TOPIK. The participant sample is restricted to 30 Taiwan Mandarin speakers at a single Taiwanese university, and the stimulus set is limited to two talkers and a subset of vowel contexts (/i, u, a/), limiting broader acoustic generalization.

Why read this

Speech researchers and L2 acquisition engineers should read this paper to understand how cross-linguistic phonological inventory gaps and vowel-to-closure coarticulatory transitions drive asymmetric perceptual confusions in non-native stop codas. It provides concrete evidence of a perceptual plateau in intermediate language learners, underscoring why general exposure fails to resolve subphonemic acoustic ambiguities without targeted perceptual training.

Code

None released (as of this page's updated date). If you are an author with a repo, please claim this entry — see CONTRIBUTING.md.

Applications

Design of computer-assisted pronunciation training (CAPT) software and targeted perceptual training curricula for L2 Korean learners focusing on vowel-conditioned stop-coda minimal pairs.

Institutions

Seoul National University, National Chengchi University

Perception of English /iː/–/ɪ/ by Japanese Listeners under Silent-Centre and Devoiced Vowel Conditions — same problem · relatedness 1.8/3
Lexical stress-conditioned spatiotemporal gestural coordination in L2 English — relatedness 1.7/3
Vowel Allophony Improves Maximum-Likelihood Classification of Warlpiri Consonants — relatedness 1.7/3
Categorical Perception of Mandarin Tones in Jingpo Native Speakers — relatedness 1.5/3
Achieving voicelessness in coda stop contexts: Insights from combined electroglottography and laryngoscopy — relatedness 1.5/3

All 950k paper pairs scored by TypeSafe Jev (scripts/related/); relatedness 0 = unrelated … 3 = directly comparable.

SOURCE & COVERAGE

AI-assisted full-paper digest. Check important claims against the original paper.

DOI: 10.21437/Interspeech.2026-3292