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

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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.