{"title":"The effect of second-language learning experience on Korean listeners’ use of pitch cues in the perception of Cantonese tones","authors":"Zhen Qin, Sang-Im Lee-Kim, Haifeng Qi","doi":"10.1177/02676583241244604","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Past studies have found that the linguistic experience of previously-acquired languages, such as one’s native-language (L1) and second-language (L2) learning experience, modulates the perception of novel sounds from a third language (L3). Lexical tone in L3 is a good case for testing the influence of L1 or L2, as listeners with varying language backgrounds may use different pitch cues (pitch contour or height) in tone perception. The present study focuses on L2 learners of Mandarin whose L1 variety is either Seoul Korean (SK), a non-tonal stressless language, or Gyeongsang Korean (GK), a tonal pitch-accent language. Intermediate-to-advanced SK-speaking and GK-speaking L2 learners of Mandarin were recruited as target groups, and naive listeners of respective L1 varieties were recruited as control groups. The participants completed an AX forced-choice tone discrimination task. Four Cantonese tones, one rising tone and three level tones, were used. Contour–level and level–level tonal contrasts were target tone pairs, allowing for testing the primary use of pitch contour and pitch height, respectively. The results showed that the two groups of naive listeners had greater accuracy in discriminating level–level than contour–level tonal contrasts. In contrast, L2 learners, independent of their L1 varieties, showed higher accuracy in discriminating contour–level than level–level tonal contrasts. The L2 learners’ perceptual pattern is consistent with Mandarin listeners, as reported in previous work. Taken together, the findings provide evidence for a possible developmental change in which Korean-speaking L2 learners might have a perceptual cue shift from pitch height to pitch contour through their L2 experience in Mandarin. The findings about the role of L2 proficiency in Mandarin further supported the effect of L2 experience on learners’ increased use of pitch contour.","PeriodicalId":47414,"journal":{"name":"Second Language Research","volume":"49 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9000,"publicationDate":"2024-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Second Language Research","FirstCategoryId":"98","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1177/02676583241244604","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Past studies have found that the linguistic experience of previously-acquired languages, such as one’s native-language (L1) and second-language (L2) learning experience, modulates the perception of novel sounds from a third language (L3). Lexical tone in L3 is a good case for testing the influence of L1 or L2, as listeners with varying language backgrounds may use different pitch cues (pitch contour or height) in tone perception. The present study focuses on L2 learners of Mandarin whose L1 variety is either Seoul Korean (SK), a non-tonal stressless language, or Gyeongsang Korean (GK), a tonal pitch-accent language. Intermediate-to-advanced SK-speaking and GK-speaking L2 learners of Mandarin were recruited as target groups, and naive listeners of respective L1 varieties were recruited as control groups. The participants completed an AX forced-choice tone discrimination task. Four Cantonese tones, one rising tone and three level tones, were used. Contour–level and level–level tonal contrasts were target tone pairs, allowing for testing the primary use of pitch contour and pitch height, respectively. The results showed that the two groups of naive listeners had greater accuracy in discriminating level–level than contour–level tonal contrasts. In contrast, L2 learners, independent of their L1 varieties, showed higher accuracy in discriminating contour–level than level–level tonal contrasts. The L2 learners’ perceptual pattern is consistent with Mandarin listeners, as reported in previous work. Taken together, the findings provide evidence for a possible developmental change in which Korean-speaking L2 learners might have a perceptual cue shift from pitch height to pitch contour through their L2 experience in Mandarin. The findings about the role of L2 proficiency in Mandarin further supported the effect of L2 experience on learners’ increased use of pitch contour.
期刊介绍:
Second Language Research is a high quality international peer reviewed journal, currently ranked in the top 20 journals in its field by Thomson Scientific (formerly ISI). SLR publishes theoretical and experimental papers concerned with second language acquisition and second language performance, and adheres to a rigorous double-blind reviewing policy in which the identity of both the reviewer and author are always concealed from both parties.