Successful second language pronunciation learning is linked to domain-general auditory processing rather than music aptitude

Zheng, Chaoqun; Saito, Kazuya; Tierney, Adam

doi:10.1177/0267658320978493

Cited by 15 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…Given that domain-general auditory processing has been ignored in the existing language aptitude frameworks (e.g., Hi-Lab for Linck et al, 2013), future researchers are strongly recommended to include both auditory processing AND cognitive abilities in test batteries, in order to provide a more comprehensive picture of the aptitude effects in post-pubertal L2 speech learning (cf. Zheng, Saito & Tierney, 2021 for music aptitude vs. auditory processing).…”

Section: Auditory Processing Memory Experience and L2 Speech Acquisitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does domain-general auditory processing uniquely explain the outcomes of second language speech acquisition, even once cognitive and demographic variables are accounted for?

et al. 2022

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Extending the paradigm in L1 acquisition, scholars have begun to investigate whether participants’ domain-general ability to represent, encode, and integrate spectral and temporal dimensions of sounds (i.e., auditory processing) could be a potential determinant of the outcomes of post-pubertal L2 speech learning. The current study set out to test the hypothesis that auditory processing makes a unique contribution to L2 speech acquisition, for 70 Japanese classroom learners of English with different levels of L2 proficiency when biographical backgrounds (length of instruction and immersion) and memory abilities (working, declarative, and procedural memory) are controlled for. Auditory processing loaded onto modality-general capacities to represent and incorporate anchor stimuli (relative to target stimuli) into long-term memory in an implicit fashion, but dissociated from explicit abilities to remember, associate, and elaborate sensory information. Auditory processing explained a small-to-medium amount of variance in L2 speech learning, even after the other potentially confounding variables were statistically factored out.

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Section: Auditory Processing Memory Experience and L2 Speech Acquisitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does domain-general auditory processing uniquely explain the outcomes of second language speech acquisition, even once cognitive and demographic variables are accounted for?

et al. 2022

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“…(cf. Zheng, Saito, & Tierney, in press for the relative weights of auditory processing and music aptitude in L2 speech learning).…”

Section: Limitations and Future Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Domain‐General Auditory Processing Partially Explains Second Language Speech Learning in Classroom Settings: A Review and Generalization Study

et al. 2021

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To date, a growing number of studies have shown that domain‐general auditory processing, which prior work has linked to L1 acquisition, could explain various dimensions of naturalistic L2 speech proficiency. The current study examined the generalizability of this topic to L2 speech learning in classroom settings. The spontaneous speech samples of 39 Vietnamese English‐as‐a‐foreign‐language learners were analyzed for fluent and accurate use of pronunciation and lexicogrammar and linked to a range of variables in their auditory processing profiles. The results identified moderate‐to‐strong correlations between the participants’ accurate use of lexicogrammar and audio‐motor sequence integration scores (i.e., the ability to reproduce melodic/rhythmic information). However, the relationship between phonological proficiency and auditory acuity (i.e., the ability to encode acoustic details of sounds) was nonsignificant. Although the findings support the audition‐acquisition link to classroom L2 speech learning to some degree, they only suggest that this link is robust for the acquisition of lexicogrammar information.

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“…Future studies should survey participants' backgrounds in music training and their impact on auditory processing and L2 speech learning (cf. Zheng et al, 2021).…”

Section: Future Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

How Does Having a Good Ear Promote Instructed Second Language Pronunciation Development? Roles of Domain‐General Auditory Processing in Choral Repetition Training

2022

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Growing evidence suggests that auditory processing ability may a crucial determinant of language learning, including adult second language (L2) speech learning. The current study tested 47 Chinese English-as-a-Foreign-Language students to examine the extent to which two types of auditory processing, i.e., perceptual acuity and audiomotor integration, related to improvements in the comprehensibility and nativelikeness of L2 speech following two weeks of choral repetition training (i.e., shadowing). All participants' pronunciation proficiency became significantly more comprehensible over time, and the degree of improvement in the nativelikeness of pronunciation was tied to the ability to remember and reproduce sounds (i.e., audio-motor integration). The findings suggest that robust auditory-motor integration may play a key role in the acquisition of advanced-level L2 pronunciation proficiency (i.e., comprehensible and nativelike speech).

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Successful second language pronunciation learning is linked to domain-general auditory processing rather than music aptitude

Cited by 15 publications

References 46 publications

Does domain-general auditory processing uniquely explain the outcomes of second language speech acquisition, even once cognitive and demographic variables are accounted for?

Does domain-general auditory processing uniquely explain the outcomes of second language speech acquisition, even once cognitive and demographic variables are accounted for?

Domain‐General Auditory Processing Partially Explains Second Language Speech Learning in Classroom Settings: A Review and Generalization Study

How Does Having a Good Ear Promote Instructed Second Language Pronunciation Development? Roles of Domain‐General Auditory Processing in Choral Repetition Training

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