EAPSI: Investigating First and Second Language Perception of Tone and Accent in Mandarin Chinese

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Learning Mandarin Chinese is a major challenge for adult native speakers of English. One reason for the difficulty is the need to perceive lexical tones' pitch changes that affect word meanings in Mandarin. This research will be done in collaboration with Dr. Taomei Guo at the State Key Laboratory for Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning at Beijing Normal University, and will take advantage of the large number of advanced second language learners in Beijing, China. By measuring neural responses to spoken Mandarin sentences, the research will address two questions: First, how well can advanced second language learners perceive lexical tones? Second, how sensitive are native listeners to non-native speakers? tone errors? The answer to the first question will shed light on the difficulties adult second language learners have when attempting to reach advanced proficiency in Mandarin. The answer to the second question will clarify the practical importance of clear tone production in making second language speech comprehensible to native Chinese listeners. Results could lead to improvements in teaching and learning tones, and to the appropriate prioritization of tone mastery in an individual?s language learning regimen. Using event-related potential (ERP) experiments, we will examine the N400 response to semantic and phonological errors in auditory stimuli. The N400 is a negative-going ERP component that peaks at approximately 400ms after the onset of stimuli and has been shown to display an increased amplitude in response to unexpected words in auditory stimuli. By examining N400 responses in first and second language listeners, we will attempt to determine whether they are equally sensitive to semantic and phonological errors, and whether that sensitivity is dependent on the identity of the speaker. Results will contribute to our understanding of the acquisition of lexical tones by second language learners and the role of accent in speech perception by native speakers of Chinese. This NSF EAPSI award supports the research of a U.S. graduate student and is funded in collaboration with the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology.