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Piot L, Chen H, Picaud A, Dos Santos M, Granjon L, Luo Z, To AWH, Lai RY, Cheung H, Nazzi T. Tonal interference in word learning? A comparison of Cantonese and French. J Exp Child Psychol 2024; 242:105883. [PMID: 38412568 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2024.105883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2023] [Revised: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/29/2024]
Abstract
Most languages of the world use lexical tones to contrast words. Thus, understanding how individuals process tones when learning new words is fundamental for a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying word learning. The current study asked how tonal information is integrated during word learning. We investigated whether variability in tonal information during learning can interfere with the learning of new words and whether this is language and age dependent. Cantonese- and French-learning 30-month-olds (N = 97) and Cantonese- and French-speaking adults (N = 50) were tested with an eye-tracking task on their ability to learn phonetically different pairs of novel words in two learning conditions: a 1-tone condition in which each object was named with a single label and a 3-tone condition in which each object was named with three different labels varying in tone. We predicted learning in all groups in the 1-tone condition. For the 3-tone condition, because tones are part of the phonological system of Cantonese but not of French, we expected the Cantonese groups to either fail (toddlers) or show lower performance than in the 1-tone condition (adults), whereas the French groups might show less sensitivity to this manipulation. The results show that all participants learned in the 1-tone condition and were sensitive to tone variation to some extent. Learning in the 3-tone condition was impeded in both groups of toddlers. We argue that tonal interference in word learning likely comes from the phonological level in the Cantonese groups and from the acoustic level in the French groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo Piot
- Integrative Neuroscience and Cognition Center, CNRS-Université Paris Cité, 75270 Paris Cedex 06, France; Department of Linguistics, Cognitive Sciences, University of Potsdam, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Hui Chen
- Integrative Neuroscience and Cognition Center, CNRS-Université Paris Cité, 75270 Paris Cedex 06, France
| | - Anthony Picaud
- Integrative Neuroscience and Cognition Center, CNRS-Université Paris Cité, 75270 Paris Cedex 06, France
| | - Maxine Dos Santos
- Integrative Neuroscience and Cognition Center, CNRS-Université Paris Cité, 75270 Paris Cedex 06, France
| | - Lionel Granjon
- Integrative Neuroscience and Cognition Center, CNRS-Université Paris Cité, 75270 Paris Cedex 06, France
| | - Zili Luo
- The Education University of Hong Kong, Ting Kok, Hong Kong
| | | | - Regine Y Lai
- The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong
| | - Hintat Cheung
- The Education University of Hong Kong, Ting Kok, Hong Kong; Asia University, Taichung City, 413, Taiwan
| | - Thierry Nazzi
- Integrative Neuroscience and Cognition Center, CNRS-Université Paris Cité, 75270 Paris Cedex 06, France.
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Chen H, LabertoniÈre D, Cheung H, Nazzi T. Infant learning of words in a typologically distant nonnative language. JOURNAL OF CHILD LANGUAGE 2020; 47:1276-1287. [PMID: 32370813 DOI: 10.1017/s0305000920000161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Infants attune to their native language during the first two years of life, as attested by decreases in the processing of nonnative phonological sounds and reductions in the range of possible sounds accepted as labels for native words. The present study shows that French-learning infants aged 1;8 can learn new words in an unfamiliar language, Cantonese, after just 6 repetitions of each word. This shows that word learning in a nonnative language remains possible during the second year of life even in a nonnative language that is typologically distinct from the native language.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Chen
- CNRS, Integrative Neuroscience and Cognition Center, Paris, France
- Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France
| | - Dahliane LabertoniÈre
- CNRS, Integrative Neuroscience and Cognition Center, Paris, France
- Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France
| | | | - Thierry Nazzi
- CNRS, Integrative Neuroscience and Cognition Center, Paris, France
- Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France
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Kóbor A, Janacsek K, Takács Á, Nemeth D. Statistical learning leads to persistent memory: Evidence for one-year consolidation. Sci Rep 2017; 7:760. [PMID: 28396586 PMCID: PMC5429700 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-00807-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2016] [Accepted: 03/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Statistical learning is a robust mechanism of the brain that enables the extraction of environmental patterns, which is crucial in perceptual and cognitive domains. However, the dynamical change of processes underlying long-term statistical memory formation has not been tested in an appropriately controlled design. Here we show that a memory trace acquired by statistical learning is resistant to inference as well as to forgetting after one year. Participants performed a statistical learning task and were retested one year later without further practice. The acquired statistical knowledge was resistant to interference, since after one year, participants showed similar memory performance on the previously practiced statistical structure after being tested with a new statistical structure. These results could be key to understand the stability of long-term statistical knowledge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Kóbor
- Brain Imaging Centre, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Magyar tudósok körútja 2., H-1117, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Karolina Janacsek
- Institute of Psychology, Eötvös Loránd University, Izabella utca 46., H-1064, Budapest, Hungary.,MTA-ELTE NAP B Brain, Memory and Language Research Group, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Magyar tudósok körútja 2., H-1117, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Ádám Takács
- Institute of Psychology, Eötvös Loránd University, Izabella utca 46., H-1064, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Dezso Nemeth
- Institute of Psychology, Eötvös Loránd University, Izabella utca 46., H-1064, Budapest, Hungary. .,MTA-ELTE NAP B Brain, Memory and Language Research Group, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Magyar tudósok körútja 2., H-1117, Budapest, Hungary.
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