The processing of lexical tones by young Chinese children

2012 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 885-899 ◽  
Author(s):  
CANDISE Y. LIN ◽  
MIN WANG ◽  
HUA SHU
Keyword(s):  
Chinese Children ◽  
Metalinguistic Awareness ◽  
Lexical Tone ◽  
Lexical Tones ◽  
Oddity Task ◽  
Speech Segments

ABSTRACTThe current study examined five- and seven-year-old Mandarin-speaking children's processing of lexical tones in relation to speech segments by varying onset and rime in an oddity task (onset±rime±). Results showed that children experienced more difficulty in lexical tone oddity judgment when rimes differed across monosyllables (e.g. onset+rime−) than when onsets differed (e.g. onset−rime+). This finding suggests that vowels interfere more than consonants in lexical tone processing. Seven-year-olds consistently outperformed five-year-olds, suggesting that the growth of metalinguistic awareness and literacy exposure may play a joint role in the development of lexical tone processing skills.

On the Relationship Between General Auditory Sensitivity and Speech Perception: An Examination of Pitch and Lexical Tone Perception in 4- to 6-Year-Old Children

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 487-498
Author(s):  
Puisan Wong ◽  
Man Wai Cheng
Keyword(s):  
Speech Perception ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Developmental Trajectory ◽  
Auditory Sensitivity ◽  
Pitch Discrimination ◽  
Lexical Tone ◽  
Perceptual Training ◽  
Lexical Tones ◽  
Tone Perception ◽  
Tone Discrimination

Purpose Theoretical models and substantial research have proposed that general auditory sensitivity is a developmental foundation for speech perception and language acquisition. Nonetheless, controversies exist about the effectiveness of general auditory training in improving speech and language skills. This research investigated the relationships among general auditory sensitivity, phonemic speech perception, and word-level speech perception via the examination of pitch and lexical tone perception in children. Method Forty-eight typically developing 4- to 6-year-old Cantonese-speaking children were tested on the discrimination of the pitch patterns of lexical tones in synthetic stimuli, discrimination of naturally produced lexical tones, and identification of lexical tone in familiar words. Results The findings revealed that accurate lexical tone discrimination and identification did not necessarily entail the accurate discrimination of nonlinguistic stimuli that followed the pitch levels and pitch shapes of lexical tones. Although pitch discrimination and tone discrimination abilities were strongly correlated, accuracy in pitch discrimination was lower than that in tone discrimination, and nonspeech pitch discrimination ability did not precede linguistic tone discrimination in the developmental trajectory. Conclusions Contradicting the theoretical models, the findings of this study suggest that general auditory sensitivity and speech perception may not be causally or hierarchically related. The finding that accuracy in pitch discrimination is lower than that in tone discrimination suggests that comparable nonlinguistic auditory perceptual ability may not be necessary for accurate speech perception and language learning. The results cast doubt on the use of nonlinguistic auditory perceptual training to improve children's speech, language, and literacy abilities.

scholarly journals Lexical and Prosodic Pitch Modifications in Cantonese Infant-directed Speech

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-27
Author(s):  
Luchang WANG ◽  
Marina KALASHNIKOVA ◽  
René KAGER ◽  
Regine LAI ◽  
Patrick C.M. WONG
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Lexical Tone ◽  
Lexical Tones ◽  
Phonetic Learning ◽  
Tonal Space ◽  
Shed Light ◽  
Talker Variation ◽  
Phonemic Contrasts

Abstract The functions of acoustic-phonetic modifications in infant-directed speech (IDS) remain a question: do they specifically serve to facilitate language learning via enhanced phonemic contrasts (the hyperarticulation hypothesis) or primarily to improve communication via prosodic exaggeration (the prosodic hypothesis)? The study of lexical tones provides a unique opportunity to shed light on this, as lexical tones are phonemically contrastive, yet their primary cue, pitch, is also a prosodic cue. This study investigated Cantonese IDS and found increased intra-talker variation of lexical tones, which more likely posed a challenge to rather than facilitated phonetic learning. Although tonal space was expanded which could facilitate phonetic learning, its expansion was a function of overall intonational modifications. Similar findings were observed in speech to pets who should not benefit from larger phonemic distinction. We conclude that lexical-tone adjustments in IDS mainly serve to broadly enhance communication rather than specifically increase phonemic contrast for learners.

scholarly journals The practice of experimental investigations of lexical tones in Baltic subdialects: some of the new insights in methodology

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Evaldas Švageris
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Investigation ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Main Idea ◽  
Experimental Investigations ◽  
Lexical Tone ◽  
Mathematical Functions ◽  
Combined Analysis ◽  
Lexical Tones ◽  
Acoustic Correlates ◽  
The Baltic

This article provides an alternative way of experimental investigation of lexical tones in the Baltics. The main idea holds on a presupposition that the phonetic basis of prosodic elements in question can be explained in a more appropriate way in terms of a combined analysis of acoustic correlates, rather than a selective one. The lexical tone in this case may be interpreted as a factor which determines the type of acoustic correlation. Ideally, the interdependence of that sort could be defined by mathematical functions. The analysis of the empirical basis provides clear evidence in the favour of such methodological approach. Phonetic data from both, the Latvian (Valmiera) and the Lithuanian (North Žemaitian) subdialects confirmed clearly that the highest level of the tone distinction can be reached by a combined analysis of the pitch slope, pitch jerk and the duration of the long accented vowels. These results have arguably improved the interpretation of the phonetic tone structure and shed a new light on the typological links between the Baltic dialects. Finally, it presupposes that the phonetic nature of prosodic elements in some degree depends on a methodological way we choose for the investigational purposes. 

The perception of Mandarin lexical tones by native Korean speakers differing in their experience with Mandarin

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 305-318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimiko Tsukada ◽  
Jeong-Im Han
Keyword(s):  
Fundamental Frequency ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Lexical Tone ◽  
Discrimination Test ◽  
Advanced Learners ◽  
Lexical Tones ◽  
Perceptual Salience ◽  
Level Tone

While it is well established that non-native speakers differ from native speakers in their perception and/or production of Mandarin lexical tones, empirical studies focusing on non-native learners are still limited. The objective of this study is to add to the current understanding of lexical tone perception by comparing native speakers of standard Korean from the Seoul/Kyunggi area differing in Mandarin experience (NK1, NK2) with native speakers of Mandarin. NK1 ( n = 10) had no experience with Mandarin whereas NK2 ( n = 10) consisted of highly advanced learners of Mandarin. A group of 10 native Mandarin (NM) speakers was included as controls. Accuracy of perception of six tone pairs (T1–T2, T1–T3, T1–T4, T2–T3, T2–T4, T3–T4) was assessed in a four-alternative forced-choice discrimination test. As expected, the NK2 group with extensive Mandarin learning experience resembled the NM group to a greater extent than did the NK1 group. T2–T3 was the hardest pair for both NK groups, but NK2 had the largest advantage over NK1 for this pair. Apart from T2–T3 which is generally considered difficult, tone pairs involving T1 caused some misperception by the NK groups. This may be related to the difficulty with perceiving a level tone which shows the least fundamental frequency (F0) movement and possibly has limited perceptual salience.

scholarly journals method for lexical tone classification in audio-visual speech

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 93-104
Author(s):  
João Vítor Possamai de Menezes ◽  
Maria Mendes Cantoni ◽  
Denis Burnham ◽  
Adriano Vilela Barbosa
Keyword(s):  
Native Speaker ◽  
Visual Speech ◽  
Lexical Tone ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Linear Discriminant ◽  
Lexical Tones ◽  
Pitch Tracking ◽  
Visual Component ◽  
Input Signals ◽  
Production Experiment

This work presents a method for lexical tone classification in audio-visual speech. The method is applied to a speech data set consisting of syllables and words produced by a female native speaker of Cantonese. The data were recorded in an audio-visual speech production experiment. The visual component of speech was measured by tracking the positions of active markers placed on the speaker's face, whereas the acoustic component was measured with an ordinary microphone. A pitch tracking algorithm is used to estimate F0 from the acoustic signal. A procedure for head motion compensation is applied to the tracked marker positions in order to separate the head and face motion components. The data are then organized into four signal groups: F0, Face, Head, Face+Head. The signals in each of these groups are parameterized by means of a polynomial approximation and then used to train an LDA (Linear Discriminant Analysis) classifier that maps the input signals into one of the output classes (the lexical tones of the language). One classifier is trained for each signal group. The ability of each signal group to predict the correct lexical tones was assessed by the accuracy of the corresponding LDA classifier. The accuracy of the classifiers was obtained by means of a k-fold cross validation method. The classifiers for all signal groups performed above chance, with F0 achieving the highest accuracy, followed by Face+Head, Face, and Head, respectively. The differences in performance between all signal groups were statistically significant. 

The Acquisition of Mandarin Tonal Processes by Children With Cochlear Implants

2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (5) ◽  
pp. 1309-1325 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ping Tang ◽  
Ivan Yuen ◽  
Nan Xu Rattanasone ◽  
Liqun Gao ◽  
Katherine Demuth
Keyword(s):  
Cochlear Implants ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Lexical Tone ◽  
Tone Sandhi ◽  
Lexical Tones ◽  
Pitch Information ◽  
Neutral Tone ◽  
Mandarin Tones ◽  
Hearing Children ◽  
Naming Tasks

Purpose Children with cochlear implants (CIs) face challenges in acquiring tonal languages, as CIs do not efficiently code pitch information. Mandarin is a tonal language with lexical tones and tonal processes such as neutral tone and tone sandhi, exhibiting contextually conditioned tonal realizations. Previous studies suggest that early implantation and long CI experience facilitate the acquisition of lexical tones by children with CIs. However, there is lack of acoustic evidence on children's tonal productions demonstrating that this is the case, and it is unclear whether and how children with CIs are able to acquire contextual tones. This study therefore examined the acoustic realization of both lexical tones and contextual tones as produced by children fitted with CIs, exploring the potential effects of age at implantation and length of CI experience on their acquisition of the Mandarin tonal system. Method Seventy-two Mandarin-learning preschoolers with CIs, varying in age at implantation (13–42 months) and length of CI experience (2–49 months), and 44 normal hearing 3-year-old controls were recruited. Tonal productions were elicited from both groups using picture-naming tasks and acoustically compared. Results Only the early implanted group (i.e., implanted before the age of 2 years) produced normal-like lexical tones and generally had contextual tones approximating those of the normal-hearing children. The other children, including those with longer CI experience, did not have typical tonal productions; their pitch patterns for lexical tones tended to be flatter, and contextual tone productions were unchanged across tonal contexts. Conclusion Children with CIs face challenges in acquiring Mandarin tones, but early implantation may help them to develop normal-like lexical tone categories, which further facilitates their implementation of contextual tones. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.8038889

Bimodal Benefits Revealed by Categorical Perception of Lexical Tones in Mandarin-Speaking Kindergarteners With a Cochlear Implant and a Contralateral Hearing Aid

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (12) ◽  
pp. 4238-4251
Author(s):  
Hao Zhang ◽  
Jing Zhang ◽  
Gang Peng ◽  
Hongwei Ding ◽  
Yang Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Categorical Perception ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Lexical Tone ◽  
Linear Mixed Effects ◽  
Lexical Tones ◽  
Speech Stimuli ◽  
Direct Benefits ◽  
Hearing Thresholds ◽  
Mandarin Tone

Purpose Pitch reception poses challenges for individuals with cochlear implants (CIs), and adding a hearing aid (HA) in the nonimplanted ear is potentially beneficial. The current study used fine-scale synthetic speech stimuli to investigate the bimodal benefit for lexical tone categorization in Mandarin-speaking kindergarteners using a CI and an HA in opposite ears. Method The data were collected from 16 participants who were required to complete two classical tasks for speech categorical perception (CP) with CI + HA device condition and CI alone condition. Linear mixed-effects models were constructed to evaluate the identification and discrimination scores across different device conditions. Results The bimodal kindergarteners showed CP for the continuum varying from Mandarin Tone 1 and Tone 2. Moreover, the additional acoustic information from the contralateral HA contributes to improved lexical tone categorization, with a steeper slope, a higher discrimination score of between-category stimuli pair, and an improved peakedness score (i.e., an increased benefit magnitude for discriminations of between-category over within-category pairs) for the CI + HA condition than the CI alone condition. The bimodal kindergarteners with better residual hearing thresholds at 250 Hz level in the nonimplanted ear could perceive lexical tones more categorically. Conclusion The enhanced CP results with bimodal listening provide clear evidence for the clinical practice to fit a contralateral HA in the nonimplanted ear in kindergarteners with unilateral CIs with direct benefits from the low-frequency acoustic hearing.

The Selectivity of Musical Advantage

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (5) ◽  
pp. 423-434
Author(s):  
William Choi
Keyword(s):  
Recall Task ◽  
Language Transfer ◽  
Musical Experience ◽  
Lexical Tone ◽  
Lexical Tones ◽  
High Level ◽  
Perceptual Acuity ◽  
Missing Element ◽  
Level Tone ◽  
Discriminatory Performance

The OPERA hypothesis theorizes how musical experience heightens perceptual acuity to lexical tones. One missing element in the hypothesis is whether musical advantage is general to all or specific to some lexical tones. To further extend the hypothesis, this study investigated whether English musicians consistently outperformed English nonmusicians in perceiving a variety of Cantonese tones. In an AXB discrimination task, the musicians exhibited superior discriminatory performance over the nonmusicians only in the high level, high rising, and mid-level tone contexts. Similarly, in a Cantonese tone sequence recall task, the musicians significantly outperformed the nonmusicians only in the contour tone context but not in the level tone context. Collectively, the results reflect the selectivity of musical advantage—musical experience is only advantageous to the perception of some but not all Cantonese tones, and elements of selectivity can be introduced to the OPERA hypothesis. Methodologically, the findings highlight the need to include a wide variety of lexical tone contrasts when studying music-to-language transfer.

Effects of L1 tone on perception of L2 tone - a study of Mandarin tone learning by native Cantonese children

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 549-560 ◽  
Author(s):  
XINXIN LI ◽  
CAROL KIT SUM TO ◽  
MANWA LAWRENCE NG
Keyword(s):  
Lexical Tone ◽  
Accuracy Rate ◽  
Identification Task ◽  
Lexical Tones ◽  
Phonetic Similarity ◽  
Perfect Performance ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Mandarin Tones ◽  
Mandarin Tone ◽  
Assimilation Model

In the present study, the Perceptual Assimilation Model (PAM) was tested on its applicability in child L2 lexical tone acquisition. The possible effect of L1 (Cantonese) lexical tones on L2 (Mandarin) lexical tone learning was explored. Accuracy rate and error patterns were examined with an AX discrimination task and a forced-choice identification task. Forty-nine native Cantonese-speaking students aged 8 years participated in the study. Results revealed that these children exhibited nearly perfect performance in the discrimination of Mandarin tones. However, significant tone differences were detected in the identification task. Tone 4 (T4) was identified with the lowest accuracy, and T1 with the highest. Error analysis revealed that Mandarin T2-T3 was the most confusing pair, followed by the T1-T4 pair. The inherent phonetic similarity between lexical tones in a language and the tone similarities across languages may also have contributed to perception difficulties, which could help to refine and supplement the PAM in the tonal/suprasegmental domain.

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