Effects of native language experience on Mandarin lexical tone processing in proficient second language learners

Abstract

Learning the acoustic and phonological information in lexical tones is significant for learners of tonal languages. Although there is a wealth of knowledge from studies of second language (L2) tone learning, it remains unclear how L2 learners process acoustic versus phonological information differently depending on whether their first language (L1) is a tonal language. In the present study, we first examined proficient L2 learners of Mandarin with tonal and nontonal L1 in a behavioral experiment (identifying a Mandarin tonal continuum) to construct tonal contrasts that could differentiate the phonological from the acoustic information in Mandarin lexical tones for the L2 learners. We then conducted an ERP experiment to investigate these learners’ automatic processing of acoustic and phonological information in Mandarin lexical tones by mismatch negativity (MMN). Although both groups of L2 learners showed similar behavioral identification features for the Mandarin tonal continuum as native speakers, L2 learners with nontonal L1, as compared with both native speakers and L2 learners with tonal L1, showed longer reaction time to the tokens of the Mandarin tonal continuum. More importantly, the MMN data further revealed distinct roles of acoustic and phonological information on the automatic processing of L2 lexical tones between the two groups of L2 learners. Taken together, the results indicate that the processing of acoustic and phonological information in L2 lexical tones may be modulated by L1 experience with a tonal language. The theoretical implications of the current study are discussed in light of models of L2 speech learning.

Effects of Amateur Musical Experience on Categorical Perception of Lexical Tones by Native Chinese Adults: An ERP Study

“…In line with Näätänen et al (2004) and Pakarinen et al (2007) , the current study adopted a multifeature passive oddball paradigm, which consists of more than one type of deviant in one block ( Partanen et al, 2013 ; Yu et al, 2019 ). The 15 standard stimuli were played first to prompt participants to establish a standard perceptual template.…”

“…Most of prior studies probed into lexical tones as a whole (e.g., Wang et al, 2001 ; Francis et al, 2003 ; Hallé et al, 2004 ), while more recent studies have switched to the dynamic interaction between acoustic and phonological information of lexical tones (e.g., Xi et al, 2010 ; Zhang et al, 2011 ; Yu et al, 2014 ). In general, the acoustic information consists of the physical features of lexical tones as estimated by F0 (e.g., pitch height and pitch contour), while the phonological information refers to the linguistic properties with tonal categories to distinguish lexical semantics ( Yu et al, 2019 ). Although some secondary cues might influence the judgment of lexical tone contrasts, F0 remains most critical as amply confirmed by the seminal ( Wang, 1976 ) and subsequent studies of categorical perception of lexical tones ( Xu et al, 2006 ; Peng et al, 2010 ; Shen and Froud, 2016 ).…”

“…Their additional findings uncovered the temporal pattern of lexical tone processing showing that phonological processing precedes acoustic processing at the pre-attentive cortical stage, which was then re-confirmed in a subsequent study by Yu et al (2017) . The pre-attentive stage refers to an earlier stage at which individuals involuntarily process the stimuli, in contrast to the later attentive stage at which individuals consciously process the stimuli ( Neisser, 1967 ; Kubovy et al, 1999 ; Yu et al, 2019 ). According to Zhao and Kuhl (2015a , b) , this pattern of temporal processing involves the dominant influences of the higher-level linguistic categories as compared to the lower-level acoustics relating to lexical tones.…”

Book Review: Speech Perception, Production and Acquisition: Multidisciplinary Approaches in Chinese Languages

“…First, there is a collection of wonderful studies on acoustic and phonological processing of lexical tones relating to hemispheric lateralization (Chapter 3 by Chao-Yang Lee and Seth Wiener, and Chapter 5 by Keke Yu, Ruiming Wang, and Ping Li). Divergent from prior studies examining lexical tone perception as a whole, the recently growing studies have shown that two types of information of lexical tones, namely acoustic information and phonological information, are processed differentially by our brain as evidenced by their respective neurophysiological correlates (Yu et al, 2019 ). Second, a heated debate has been discussed as regards the relationship between music and language (Chapter 8 by Jia Hoong Ong, Shen Hui Tan, Alice H. D. Chan, and Francis C. K. Wong).…”

Phonological transfer effects in novice learners: A learner's brain detects grammar errors only if the language sounds familiar

“…However, studies using mismatch negativity (MMN) paradigms have observed transfer based modulations of L2 tone perception. To this effect, only learners with a tonal L1 showed modulations of MMN effects based on tone functionality and not only pitch height (Shen & Froud, 2019; Yu, et al, 2019). For post-perceptive processing, no N400 for lexical tone mismatches or LAN/P600 for mismatches in grammar-related tone is found in natural L2 learners with a non-tonal L1 (Gosselke Berthelsen et al, 2020; Pelzl, Lau, Guo & DeKeyser, 2019).…”