Effects of linguistic and musical experience on the processing and learning of non-native prosody

第二语言(L2)言语学习研究中一个长期讨论的问题是，言语学习在多大程度上受到语言经验的影响，或者更普遍地反映出人类天生处理较低层次物理属性的能力，或者涉及认知处理领域中的一个相互关联的系统。本研究通过对比韵律(音高和时长)来探讨语言和音乐经验对二语语音学习的影响，以探讨语言因素和非语言因素如何在语言学习中交互作用，以及学习诱导的可塑性是如何在大脑中实例化的。研究二语韵律学习中的语言经验和音乐经验之间的关系提供了一个独特的案例来解开这些因素是如何相互作用的，因为韵律和音乐知觉共享音高和音长的主要声学关联。因此，推测熟练的音乐可能有助于学习第二语言中困难的韵律对比是合乎逻辑的。使用行为测试和大脑测试技术，我们考察了非母语听者是如何被训练来感知和处理日语音调和元音时长的。具体地说，我们评估以下因素的影响：(1)母语背景(具有语言音高或音长对比)；(2)音乐训练经验(打击乐手对音长变化敏感，弦乐演奏者对音高变化敏感)；(3)音乐熟练程度；(4)最初音乐培训的年龄。此外，我们还考察了对语言音高和音长的熟悉是否会转移到对音乐中旋律和节奏变化的感知上。因此，本研究系统地将影响二语韵律学习的语言和音乐因素结合在一起，揭示了非母语言语对比处理的认知机制的本质，以及这些机制是如何被不同的经验所塑造的。

One long-deliberated issue in second language (L2) speech learning research is the extent to which speech learning is influenced by linguistic experience, or more generally reflecting an innate human ability to process lower-level physical properties or involving an interconnected system within the realm of cognitive processing. This research explores the effects of linguistic and musical experience on the learning of L2 speech with prosodic (linguistic pitch and durational) contrasts to address how linguistic and non-linguistic (musical) factors work interactively in language learning, as well as how learning-induced plasticity is instantiated in the brain. Studying the relation between linguistic and musical experience in L2 prosodic learning provides a unique case to disentangle how these factors interact, as prosody and music perception share the primary acoustic correlates of pitch and duration. It is therefore logical to speculate that proficiency in music may facilitate learning of difficult prosodic contrasts in an L2. Using both behavioral and brain testing techniques, we examine how nonnative listeners are trained to perceive and process Japanese pitch accent and vowel duration. Specifically, we assess the effects of (1) native language backgrounds (with either linguistic pitch or durational contrasts); (2) musical training experience (with percussionists sensitive to durational variations, and string players sensitive to pitch variations); (3) musical proficiency; and (4) age of initial musical training. Additionally, we also examine if familiarity with linguistic pitch and duration can transfer to the perception of melodic and rhythmic variations in music. This study thus systematically brings together linguistic and musical factors influencing L2 prosodic learning, providing insight into the nature of the cognitive mechanisms employed in processing non-native speech contrasts and how these mechanisms are shaped by different experiences.