The transfer of prior experience with pitch during tonal language learning
Abstract
Studies in second language (L2) acquisition suggest that when the target L2 contains features similar to the learner’s first language (L1), it is generally easier to learn that L2 than if they share minimal similarities. For example, it is easier for native Mandarin speakers to learn a new tonal language than native English speakers because Mandarin uses pitch in a lexically contrastive way unlike English. The question is, does this advantage come from specific knowledge of tone contrasts or general pitch processing abilities? This study compares learner populations with different experiences with pitch: L2 tonal language learners, L2 learners of a nontonal language that uses pitch as a phonemic cue, and monolingual English speakers. Participants first did a nonlinguistic pitch processing task, then completed tone identification and categorization tasks in an unfamiliar tonal language before and after a tone perception training paradigm. Preliminary results with monolingual English speakers showed a large variation in tone perception across individuals and a small correlation between performance on the nonlinguistic pitch processing and tone perception tasks. Further testing of the other groups will shed light onto how prior knowledge with pitch affects performance in tone perception tasks.