The perception of speech modulation cues in lexical tones is guided by early language-specific experience
The perception of speech modulation cues in lexical tones is guided by early language-specific experience
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DOI：
10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01290
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发表时间：
2015-08-28
影响因子：
3.8
通讯作者：
Bertoncini, Josiane
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Cabrera, Laurianne;Tsao, Feng-Ming;Bertoncini, Josiane
许多研究表明，在婴儿出生的第一年，他们会根据母语类别重新组织他们对语音的感知。然而，关于基本听觉机制对这一过程的贡献，信息仍然匮乏。这项研究旨在评估母语经验何时开始显著影响对成年人言语感知至关重要的基本声学提示(即调频和调幅信息)的知觉加工。使用视觉习惯化范式，对6个月和10个月大的学习法语或普通话的婴儿进行了词汇声调对比(上升和下降)的辨别能力评估。词汇音调是在两种情况下呈现的，旨在保持完好或严重降低FM和精细频谱线索，以准确感知声调轨迹。第三个条件被设计用来评估在学习法语和汉语的10个月大的婴儿中，使用只包含与基频(FO)相关的FM提示的点击序列对相同音调轨迹的辨别能力。结果表明，两个语言组和学习普通话的10个月大的婴儿都能辨别出完整的词汇声调对比，而学习法语的10个月大的婴儿则辨别不出。然而，只有法国10个月大的婴儿在调频时辨别出退化的词汇音调，因此音调线索减少。此外，研究发现，学习普通话的10个月大的婴儿比法国婴儿更能辨别点击序列中的音高轨迹。综上所述，这些结果表明，在生命的第一年，词汇声调的知觉重组与使用语音调制线索的听觉能力的变化相结合。
A number of studies showed that infants reorganize their perception of speech sounds according to their native language categories during their first year of life. Still, information is lacking about the contribution of basic auditory mechanisms to this process. This study aimed to evaluate when native language experience starts to noticeably affect the perceptual processing of basic acoustic cues [i.e., frequency-modulation (FM) and amplitude-modulation information] known to be crucial for speech perception in adults. The discrimination of a lexical-tone contrast (rising versus low) was assessed in 6- and 10-month-old infants learning either French or Mandarin using a visual habituation paradigm. The lexical tones were presented in two conditions designed to either keep intact or to severely degrade the FM and fine spectral cues needed to accurately perceive voice-pitch trajectory. A third condition was designed to assess the discrimination of the same voice-pitch trajectories using click trains containing only the FM cues related to the fundamental-frequency (FO) in French- and Mandarin-learning 10-month-old infants. Results showed that the younger infants of both language groups and the Mandarin-learning 10-month-olds discriminated the intact lexical-tone contrast while French-learning 10-month-olds failed. However, only the French 10-month-olds discriminated degraded lexical tones when FM, and thus voice-pitch cues were reduced. Moreover, Mandarin-learning 10-month-olds were found to discriminate the pitch trajectories as presented in click trains better than French infants. Altogether, these results reveal that the perceptual reorganization occurring during the first year of life for lexical tones is coupled with changes in the auditory ability to use speech modulation cues.