Listening for Region: Phonetic Cue Sensitivity and Sociolinguistic Development in L2 Spanish

This study investigates how second language (L2) learners of Spanish identify the regional origin of native Spanish speakers and whether specific phonetic cues predict dialect identification accuracy across proficiency levels. Situated within a growing body of work on sociolinguistic competence, this research addresses the development of learners’ ability to use linguistic forms not only for communication but also for social interpretation. A dialect identification task was administered to 111 American English-speaking learners of Spanish and 19 native Spanish speakers. Participants heard sentence-length stimuli targeting regional phonetic features and selected the speaker’s country of origin. While L2 learners were able to identify regional dialects above chance, accuracy was low and significantly below that of native speakers. Higher-proficiency learners demonstrated improved identification, especially for speakers from Spain and Argentina, and relied more on salient phonetic cues (e.g., [θ], [ʃ]). No significant development was found for identification of Mexican or Puerto Rican varieties. Unlike native speakers, L2 learners did not show sensitivity to broader macrodialect groupings; instead, they frequently defaulted to high-exposure varieties (e.g., Spain, Mexico) regardless of the phonetic cues present. Findings suggest that sociophonetic perception in L2 Spanish develops gradually and unevenly, shaped by cue salience and exposure.