PERCEPTION OF FINAL INTONATION IN NATIVE, LEARNED, AND UNFAMILIAR LANGUAGES: A CROSS-LINGUISTIC STUDY WITH TURKISH LISTENERS

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This study explores how Turkish listeners perceive final intonation patterns (fall/rise) in three different languages: their native language, Turkish; their target language, English; and Urdu, a language unfamiliar to them. Sixty utterances featuring fall or rise intonation from these languages were presented to B1-level Turkish EFL students enrolled in a one-year pre-faculty English program at a state university in Türkiye. Listeners also reflected on their listening experiences, expressing their perceptions of difficulty, comfort, success, and the level of focus required. The test results were analyzed descriptively, while responses to reflection questions were examined through thematic analysis. Findings indicated that Listeners achieved the highest accuracy in English and the lowest in Turkish. Urdu was perceived as the most challenging for intonation perception, demanding the greatest concentration, often attributed to its unfamiliarity. Despite feeling more at ease and confident with Turkish, Listeners performed better in both Urdu and English. Additionally, the results confirmed that Turkish EFL learners struggled more with identifying final falling intonation in English and Turkish. While the familiarity of Turkish may have led to overconfidence, the unfamiliar nature of Urdu appeared to enhance attentiveness. English, as the language they were learning, presented a balance of both comfort and difficulty. These findings highlight a discrepancy between perception and actual performance.