Segment Composition as a Factor in the Syllabification Errors of Second‐Language Speakers*

Native Chinese Mandarin speakers spoke and aurally identified monosyllables that included oral and nasal stops. These consonants represented English/Mandarin contrasts and noncontrasts in syllable‐initial/‐final positions. Error frequencies for four syllable position/contrast conditions were compared to determine if they were rank ordered according to the hierarchy derived from Anderson's (1987) test of the Markedness Differential Hypothesis. Neither production nor identification errors were ranked in the predicted order. The presence of nasal as opposed to oral stop consonants in the syllables appeared to be the most significant factor affecting error distribution. The findings suggest that the error predictions for initial/final segments can be neutralized by the requirements of producing and perceiving particular speech sounds.