Non-native tone categorization and word learning across a spectrum of L1 tonal statuses

• Tim Joris Laméris ^[1] ; Miquel Llompart ^[2] ; Brechtje Post ^[3]
  1. [1] Leiden University

     Leiden University

     Países Bajos

     
  2. [2] Universitat Pompeu Fabra

     Universitat Pompeu Fabra

     Barcelona, España

     
  3. [3] University of Cambridge

     University of Cambridge

     Cambridge District, Reino Unido

     

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• Localización: Bilingualism: Language and cognition, ISSN 1366-7289, Vol. 27, Nº 4, 2024, págs. 729-743
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • Adults differ in the ease with which they acquire lexical tones in a non-native language. Individual differences have been attributed to several factors, such as the role that pitch plays in a learner's L1 to signal lexical meaning (L1 tonal status), the shape of the tones to be acquired (tone types), as well as extralinguistic factors (such as musical experience and working memory). Here, we ask whether learners from a spectrum of L1 tonal statuses (Dutch, Swedish and Japanese, and Thai) differ in their tone word learning facility, whilst we simultaneously investigate the effects of tone type, and musical experience and working memory. Our findings suggest that above and beyond L1 tonal status, the strongest predictor of tone word learning was pre-lexical tone processing (measured by a tone categorization task), although the strength of the link between pre-lexical and lexical processing may be modulated by L1 tonal status.