Towards an attentional theory of second-language speech perception: Evidence from cue ecology.

Abstract

Speech perception relies on multiple acoustic cues whose relative weighting varies across languages. The present study examines how long-term language experience shapes cue weighting in second-language (L2) speech perception, refining an attentional-learning account of cross-linguistic transfer. Native speakers of English, Dutch, Spanish, Korean, and Mandarin completed a cue-weighting task targeting English lexical stress, in which vowel quality, pitch, and duration were orthogonally manipulated. Results revealed robust, dimension-specific differences across first-language (L1) groups that could not be explained solely by the presence or absence of lexical stress or lexical tone in the L1. Instead, cue weighting reflected how acoustic dimensions function within the L1 cue ecology, including their relative contribution to lexical distinctions and the stability and interpretability of these mappings across contexts. Cue redundancy constrained relative cue strength without eliminating attentional sensitivity to secondary dimensions. Machine-learning classification further showed that L1-linked attentional profiles were sufficiently structured to support prediction, even among L2 listeners with substantial English proficiency, demonstrating the persistence of L1-shaped attentional tuning. These findings support a view of cue weighting as reflecting durable, multidimensional attentional priors shaped by long-term experience and highlight the importance of L1 cue ecologies in understanding cross-linguistic transfer in speech perception.