Effects of acoustic and linguistic experience on Japanese pitch accent processing

• WU ^[3] ; SAYA KAWASE ^[1] ; YUE WANG ^[2]
  1. [1] University of Western Sydney

     University of Western Sydney

     Australia

     
  2. [2] Simon Fraser University

     Simon Fraser University

     Canadá

     
  3. [3] University of California, Berkeley

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• Localización: Bilingualism: Language and cognition, ISSN 1366-7289, Vol. 20, Nº 5, 2017, págs. 931-946
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • This study investigated the effects of L2 learning experience in relation to L1 background on hemispheric processing of Japanese pitch accent. Native Mandarin Chinese (tonal L1) and English (non-tonal L1) learners of Japanese were tested using dichotic listening. These listener groups were compared with those recruited in Wu, Tu & Wang (2012), including native Mandarin and English listeners without Japanese experience and native Japanese listeners. Results revealed an overall right-hemisphere preference across groups, suggesting acoustically oriented processing. Individual pitch accent patterns also revealed pattern-specific laterality differences, further reflecting acoustic-level processing. However, listener group differences indicated L1 effects, with the Chinese but not English listeners approximating the Japanese patterns. Furthermore, English learners but not naïve listeners exhibited a shift towards the native direction, revealing effects of L2 learning. These findings imply integrated effects of acoustic and linguistic aspects on Japanese pitch accent processing as a function of L1 and L2 experience.