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Hsu CH, Cheong TH, Huang WJ. Exploring the impact of tonal inventory on speech perception across languages: a study of MMN responses in tonal language speakers. Front Psychol 2024; 15:1394309. [PMID: 39323581 PMCID: PMC11422226 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1394309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2024] [Accepted: 08/16/2024] [Indexed: 09/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Previous research on the perception of segmental features of languages has established a correlation between the phoneme inventory of a language and its speakers' perceptual abilities, as indexed by discrimination tasks and Mismatch Negativity (MMN). Building on this background, the current study elucidated the relationship between perceptual ability and tonal inventory by utilizing two tonal languages. Two groups of participants were included in the present experiment: Mandarin speakers and Hakka-Mandarin speakers. Onset latency analysis revealed a significant difference in the Mandarin syllable condition, with Hakka-Mandarin speakers demonstrating earlier MMN latency than Mandarin speakers. This suggests a more efficient auditory processing mechanism in Hakka-Mandarin speakers. Both groups, however, showed similar MMN latency in the Hakka syllable condition. The interaction between language background and syllable type indicates that other factors, such as syllable sonority, also influence MMN responses. These findings highlight the importance of considering multiple phonemic inventories and syllable characteristics in studies of tonal perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun-Hsien Hsu
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, National Central University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Tong-Hou Cheong
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, National Central University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Wen-Jun Huang
- Department of Hakka Language and Social Sciences, National Central University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
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Choi W, Lai VKW. Does musicianship influence the perceptual integrality of tones and segmental information? THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2023; 154:852-862. [PMID: 37566718 DOI: 10.1121/10.0020579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023]
Abstract
This study investigated the effect of musicianship on the perceptual integrality of tones and segmental information in non-native speech perception. We tested 112 Cantonese musicians, Cantonese non-musicians, English musicians, and English non-musicians with a modified Thai tone AX discrimination task. In the tone discrimination task, the control block only contained tonal variations, whereas the orthogonal block contained both tonal and task-irrelevant segmental variations. Relative to their own performance in the control block, the Cantonese listeners showed decreased sensitivity index (d') and increased response time in the orthogonal block, reflecting integral perception of tones and segmental information. By contrast, the English listeners performed similarly across the two blocks, indicating independent perception. Bayesian analysis revealed that the Cantonese musicians and the Cantonese non-musicians perceived Thai tones and segmental information equally integrally. Moreover, the English musicians and the English non-musicians showed similar degrees of independent perception. Based on the above results, musicianship does not seem to influence tone-segmental perceptual integrality. While musicianship apparently enhances tone sensitivity, not all musical advantages are transferrable to the language domain.
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Affiliation(s)
- William Choi
- Academic Unit of Human Communication, Development, and Information Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
| | - Veronica Ka Wai Lai
- Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Manitoba University, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
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Ning J, Peng G, Liu Y, Li Y. The effect of simultaneous exposure on the attention selection and integration of segments and lexical tones by Urdu-Cantonese bilingual speakers. Front Psychol 2022; 13:918737. [PMID: 36160566 PMCID: PMC9491360 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.918737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
In the perceptual learning of lexical tones, an automatic and robust attention-to-phonology system enables native tonal listeners to adapt to acoustically non-optimal speech, such as phonetic conflicts in daily communications. Previous tone research reveals that non-native listeners who do not linguistically employ lexical tones in their mother tongue may find it challenging to attend to the tonal dimension or integrate it with the segmental features. However, it is unknown whether the attentional interference initially caused by a maternal attentional system would continue influencing the non-optimal tone perception for simultaneous bilingual teenagers. From an endpoint in the age of language acquisition, we investigate whether the tone-specific attention mechanism developed by the Urdu-Cantonese simultaneous bilinguals is automatic enough to assist them in adapting to a phonetically-conflicting environment. Three groups of teenagers engaged in a four-condition ABX task: Urdu-Cantonese simultaneous bilinguals, Cantonese native listeners, and Urdu-speaking, late learners of Cantonese. The results showed that although the simultaneous bilinguals could phonologically process Cantonese tones in a Cantonese-like way under a conflict-free listening condition, they still failed in adapting to the phonetic conflicts, especially the segment-induced ones. It thus demonstrated that the simultaneous exposure and years of regular education in Hong Kong local schools still could not automatically guarantee simultaneous bilingual processing of Cantonese tones. In interpreting the findings, it hypothesized that, except for simultaneous exposure, the development of a tone-specific attention mechanism is also likely to be L1-inhibitory, tone experience-driven, and language-specific for simultaneous bilinguals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinghong Ning
- Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
- *Correspondence: Jinghong Ning,
| | - Gang Peng
- Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Yi Liu
- Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Poly U – Peking U Research Centre on Chinese Linguistics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Yingnan Li
- Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
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Antoniou M, Chin JLL. What Can Lexical Tone Training Studies in Adults Tell Us about Tone Processing in Children? Front Psychol 2018; 9:1. [PMID: 29410639 PMCID: PMC5787074 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2017] [Accepted: 01/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
A growing number of studies on the acquisition of lexical tone by adult learners have revealed that factors such as language background, musical experience, cognitive abilities, and neuroanatomy all play a role in determining tone learning success. On the basis of these findings, it has been argued that the effectiveness of tone learning in adulthood depends on individual differences in these factors. However, it is not clear whether similar individual differences play an analogous role in tone learning in childhood. Indeed, relatively few studies have made comparisons between how adults and children learn lexical tones. Here, we review recent developments for tone learning in both adults and children. The review covers tone training in a range of contexts, including in naive listeners, in native speakers of other tone languages, in listeners with varying levels of musical experience, and in individuals with speech and hearing disorders. Finally, we discuss the parallels between adult and child tone learning, and provide recommendations concerning how findings in adult tone training can provide insights into tone learning for children by accommodating the needs of individual learners.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Antoniou
- The MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, Western Sydney University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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Zhang L, Li Y, Wu H, Li X, Shu H, Zhang Y, Li P. Effects of Semantic Context and Fundamental Frequency Contours on Mandarin Speech Recognition by Second Language Learners. Front Psychol 2016; 7:908. [PMID: 27378997 PMCID: PMC4905971 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2016] [Accepted: 06/01/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Speech recognition by second language (L2) learners in optimal and suboptimal conditions has been examined extensively with English as the target language in most previous studies. This study extended existing experimental protocols (Wang et al., 2013) to investigate Mandarin speech recognition by Japanese learners of Mandarin at two different levels (elementary vs. intermediate) of proficiency. The overall results showed that in addition to L2 proficiency, semantic context, F0 contours, and listening condition all affected the recognition performance on the Mandarin sentences. However, the effects of semantic context and F0 contours on L2 speech recognition diverged to some extent. Specifically, there was significant modulation effect of listening condition on semantic context, indicating that L2 learners made use of semantic context less efficiently in the interfering background than in quiet. In contrast, no significant modulation effect of listening condition on F0 contours was found. Furthermore, there was significant interaction between semantic context and F0 contours, indicating that semantic context becomes more important for L2 speech recognition when F0 information is degraded. None of these effects were found to be modulated by L2 proficiency. The discrepancy in the effects of semantic context and F0 contours on L2 speech recognition in the interfering background might be related to differences in processing capacities required by the two types of information in adverse listening conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linjun Zhang
- Faculty of Linguistic Sciences and KIT-BLCU MEG Laboratory for Brain Science, Beijing Language and Culture University Beijing, China
| | - Yu Li
- Department of Cognitive Science and ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, Macquarie University Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Han Wu
- Department of Sociology, Tsinghua University Beijing, China
| | - Xin Li
- Faculty of Linguistic Sciences and KIT-BLCU MEG Laboratory for Brain Science, Beijing Language and Culture University Beijing, China
| | - Hua Shu
- National Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University Beijing, China
| | - Yang Zhang
- Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences and Center for Neurobehavioral Development, University of Minnesota Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Ping Li
- Department of Psychology and Center for Brain, Behavior and Cognition, Pennsylvania State University State College, PA, USA
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Astheimer LB, Berkes M, Bialystok E. Differential Allocation of Attention During Speech Perception in Monolingual and Bilingual Listeners. LANGUAGE, COGNITION AND NEUROSCIENCE 2015; 31:196-205. [PMID: 27110579 PMCID: PMC4838403 DOI: 10.1080/23273798.2015.1083114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Attention is required during speech perception to focus processing resources on critical information. Previous research has shown that bilingualism modifies attentional processing in nonverbal domains. The current study used event-related potentials (ERPs) to determine whether bilingualism also modifies auditory attention during speech perception. We measured attention to word onsets in spoken English for monolinguals and Chinese-English bilinguals. Auditory probes were inserted at four times in a continuous narrative: concurrent with word onset, 100 ms before or after onset, and at random control times. Greater attention was indexed by an increase in the amplitude of the early negativity (N1). Among monolinguals, probes presented after word onsets elicited a larger N1 than control probes, replicating previous studies. For bilinguals, there was no N1 difference for probes at different times around word onsets, indicating less specificity in allocation of attention. These results suggest that bilingualism shapes attentional strategies during English speech comprehension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lori B. Astheimer
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA 01003
| | - Matthias Berkes
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada, M3J 1P3
| | - Ellen Bialystok
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada, M3J 1P3
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Shport IA. Perception of acoustic cues to Tokyo Japanese pitch-accent contrasts in native Japanese and naive English listeners. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2015; 138:307-318. [PMID: 26233031 DOI: 10.1121/1.4922468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
This study examines how native language shapes the perception of a prosodic contrast. In Tokyo Japanese, a high-low pitch accent is a lexical property of a word, and the F0 fall after the peak associated with the accented syllable is the fundamental cue to accent perception. In English, pitch accents do not create lexically contrastive F0 patterns. A hypothesis that English listeners naive to Japanese use the F0 fall cue less than Japanese listeners was tested in two experiments. The alignment of F0 peak, the presence and magnitude of F0 fall were manipulated in a trisyllabic nonword to resynthesize Japanese 1st-syllable accented, 2nd-syllable accented, and unaccented patterns. In an AX-discrimination experiment, both listener groups showed sensitivity to the presence of F0 fall at every peak location. In a categorization experiment, the English group did not use the F0 fall cue in decisions about whether the 1st or the 2nd syllable sounded more prominent. The Japanese group relied on the F0 fall information, some listeners much heavily than others. These findings suggest that one's native language constrains how much attention the prosodic dimension of F0 change receives and that individual listeners may have qualitatively different perceptual strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irina A Shport
- Department of English, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, USA
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