[EDLING:150] phonetics question

[sicola at DOLPHIN.UPENN.EDU]

I realize this question will be a gross generalization, but does anyone know 
if the typical /s/ in standard American English is more/less/comparably 
strident to the relative /s/ in standard Korean, Japanese or Mandarin? If any 
of these is not comparably strident, what articulatory change(s) cause(s) the 
difference?

In my data (L2 English), there is a lot of confusion in minimal pair word 
tasks, comparing English words with "s" vs. "th" even when it isn't likely due 
to L1 transfer (L1 = above languages). Counterintuitively, many participants 
pronounce the "th" in "path" very clearly but the "ss" in "Pass" in a way that 
makes it uncertain which word they're saying until they then say "Path" to 
contrast. Of course this could be due to having a lisp or missing teeth (both 
real conditions with some participants) but it's a far more prevalent 
occurrence than I ever would have guessed. Or maybe they're just 
overgeneralizing the theta use since the task clearly orients their attention 
to it...

Any insights?

Thanks,

Laura




--