As mentioned in other pages, sensorimotor training in language learning involves the coordination between the receptiveness and processing of information in a second language. Such training could attempt to enhance capabilities in various aspects of L2 acquisition, particularly the areas of speech perception and speech production. Below, we outline some of the potential benefits of sensorimotor training.

Firstly, the neural complexity of the brain allows sensorimotor training to be a possible method of language acquisition, as networks in the brain form a basis for language learning and acquisition of vocabulary in the first and second language. Research has indicated that the cognitive process of using a language (in this example, when presented with food terms) often activates various other parts of the brain like the motor cortex and orbitofrontal cortex. These are areas associated with taste appraisal and tongue movements, showing the link between words and other life experiences (Macedonia, 2013). As such, it could be inferred that sensory information, for instance receiving information in a new language, could possibly incite similar responses in our brains based on the semantics of these novel utterances, bridging the sensory input of linguistic information with the motor output by the body, for instance through gesturing or vocalising this information.

Furthermore, sensorimotor training could be used in attempts to correct negative interference from one’s native tongue. Adults, unlike children, often show notable difficulties in acquisition of novel phonemes and discrimination of non-native speech. A study by Lim & Holt (2011) investigated the relevance of short-term sensorimotor training in improving L2 perception amongst native Japanese adults who are L2 learners of English Language, particularly between the /l/ and /r/ phonemes. They found that video game training could effectively improve participants’ categorisation of phonemic information in the second language to become more native-like, by shifting their perceptual cue towards a more reliable acoustic formant. Such findings indicate the potential of sensorimotor training in altering L2 learners’ phonemic perception and discrimination, which could then allow for their acquisition of native-like speech production later on.

Moreover, the potential effectiveness of sensorimotor training on native-like speech production has also been documented. Macedonia (2014) used a training technique that made use of hearing and sight to perceive phonemic articulation followed by imitation, to create a native-like image of a sensorimotor representation of the speech sound to enhance L2 learners’ ability to produce the phoneme. Although findings of the study were inconclusive in evaluating the effectiveness of sensorimotor training, the experimental procedure indicated that adult L2 learners are able to make use of these sensory inputs like visual cues and imitation to learn pronunciation. However, more research has to be done to ascertain this.

First Created Grace Tan Shu Ting, Joan Peh Wan Xuan, Thing Jia Yun, AY2014/15 Semester 1