In this study, we propose a hypothesis that domain-general auditory processing, a perceptual anchor of L1 acquisition, can serve as the foundation of successful post-pubertal L2 learning. This hypothesis was tested with 139 post-pubertal L2 immersion learners by linking individual differences in auditory discrimination across multiple acoustic dimensions to the segmental, prosodic, lexical, and morphosyntactic dimensions of L2 proficiency. Overall, auditory processing was a primary determinant of a range of participants’ proficiency scores, even after biographical factors (experience, age) were controlled for. The link between audition and proficiency was especially clear for L2 learners who had passed beyond the initial phase of immersion (length of residence > 1 year). The findings suggest that greater auditory processing skill benefits post-pubertal L2 learners immersed in naturalistic settings for a sufficient period of time by allowing them to better utilize received input, which results in greater language gains and leads to more advanced L2 proficiency in the long run (similar to L1 acquisition).

在这项研究中，我们提出了一个假设，即域一般听觉处理，L1 习得的感知锚，可以作为成功的青春期后 L2 学习的基础。通过将跨多个声学维度的听觉辨别的个体差异与 L2 熟练程度的片段、韵律、词汇和形态句法维度联系起来，对 139 名青春期后 L2 沉浸式学习者进行了测试。总体而言，听觉处理是一系列参与者熟练程度得分的主要决定因素，即使在控制了传记因素（经验、年龄）之后也是如此。听力和熟练程度之间的联系对于已经超过初始沉浸阶段（居住时间 > 1 年）的 L2 学习者来说尤其明显。