Mechanisms of accented speech recognition in native and non-native listeners: Biological insights

项目总结 这项研究的目标是确定支持外国口音的听觉、认知和语言过程 为母语和非母语听众提供语音识别。随着全球化的日益加剧，外国口音演讲 在现实世界的人类交流中经常出现，经常是导致沟通失误的原因。然而，几乎没有什么 了解非母语语音如何改变语音识别机制。要了解 支持重音语音识别的机制及其语言依赖的可塑性，60岁中年人 来自三种不同语言背景的成年人(母语为英语单语，西班牙语-英语双语，和 汉语-英语双语)在重音语音识别、频率跟随反应(FFR)、 以及一系列认知和语言测量。带重音的语音识别测试使用以下语句 母语-英语单语者、西班牙语-英语双语者和普通话人所说的语言复杂性各不相同- 英语双语者，允许评估其语言的个人的非母语语音识别 背景要么与说话者匹配，要么不匹配。FFR是对复合体的神经生理学反应 提供关于声音的多方面的、重叠的分量的细粒度细节的听觉刺激(例如， 基频和谐波)被转换成离散的神经分量。因此，FFR可以 确定单个声音组件如何对非原生语音识别做出贡献。此外，一个 全面的认知和语言过程被认为对非母语语言很重要 对这些参与者的认可度进行了测量。总而言之，这些测试描绘了听觉的贡献， 母语和非母语听者对外国口音语音识别的认知和语言过程。 通过确定重音语音识别的神经机制和基于语言的可塑性 这些机制，本项目为制定改善口音的策略提供了基础 承认。此外，该项目的成果将有助于我们了解共享的 和支持所有类型降级语音识别的单独机制，以及这些机制如何 受语言经验的影响。退化语音识别的识别机制及其应用 经验依赖将确定在日常环境中改善沟通的方法，并将促进 为其语音识别困难加剧的个人开发补救策略， 例如有听力障碍或语言障碍的人。

PROJECT SUMMARY The goal of this study is to identify the auditory, cognitive, and linguistic processes that support foreign-accented speech recognition for native and non-native listeners. With increasing globalization, foreign-accented speech occurs regularly in real-world human communication and is often a cause of miscommunication. Yet little is known about how non-native speech alters the mechanisms of speech recognition. To understand the mechanisms that support accented-speech recognition and their language-dependent plasticity, 60 middle-aged adults from three different language backgrounds (native English monolingual, Spanish-English bilingual, and Mandarin-English bilingual) are tested on accented-speech recognition, the frequency-following response (FFR), and a battery of cognitive and linguistic measures. The accented-speech recognition test uses sentences of varying linguistic complexity spoken by native-English monolinguals, Spanish-English bilinguals, and Mandarin- English bilinguals, allowing evaluation of non-native speech recognition in individuals whose language backgrounds either match or do not match the talkers. The FFR is a neurophysiological response to complex auditory stimuli that provides fine-grained detail about how multifaceted, overlapping components of sound (e.g., fundamental frequency and harmonics) are transformed into discrete neural components. Thus, the FFR can identify how individual sound components contribute to non-native speech recognition. Additionally, a comprehensive battery of cognitive and linguistic processes thought to be important for non-native speech recognition are measured on these participants. Together, these tests delineate the contribution of auditory, cognitive, and linguistic processes on foreign-accented speech recognition for native and non-native listeners. By identifying the neural mechanisms underlying accented-speech recognition and language-based plasticity of these mechanisms, this project provides the groundwork for developing strategies to improve accented speech recognition. Furthermore, outcomes from this project will aid in our overarching goal of understanding the shared and separate mechanisms that support all types of degraded-speech recognition and how these mechanisms are influenced by language experience. Identifying mechanisms of degraded-speech recognition and their experience dependency will identify ways to improve communication in everyday settings, and will facilitate development of remediation strategies for individuals whose speech recognition difficulties are exacerbated, such as individuals with a hearing impairment or language disorder.