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

学习普通话对以英语为母语的成年人来说是一项重大挑战。困难的一个原因是需要感知词汇音调的音调变化，这种变化会影响普通话中的词义。本研究将与北京师范大学认知神经科学与学习国家重点实验室的郭涛梅博士合作完成，并将利用中国北京大量高级第二语言学习者的优势。通过测量对普通话口语句子的神经反应，该研究将解决两个问题：第一，高级第二语言学习者对词汇音调的感知程度如何？第二，母语听众对非母语人士有多敏感？语调错误?第一个问题的答案将揭示成人第二语言学习者在试图达到高级普通话水平时所遇到的困难。第二个问题的答案将阐明清晰的声调在使母语为汉语的听众听懂第二语言讲话中的实际重要性。研究结果可能会改善声调的教学和学习，并对个人的声调掌握进行适当的优先排序。我们的语言学习方案。利用事件相关电位（ERP）实验，我们将研究N400对听觉刺激中语义和语音错误的反应。N400是一个负向的ERP成分，在刺激开始后约400毫秒达到峰值，并且在听觉刺激中对意外单词的反应中显示出增加的幅度。通过检查第一语言和第二语言听者的N400反应，我们将试图确定他们对语义和语音错误是否同样敏感，以及这种敏感性是否取决于说话者的身份。研究结果将有助于我们理解第二语言学习者词汇语调的习得，以及口音在汉语母语者言语感知中的作用。该奖项由美国国家科学基金会EAPSI与中国科技部合作资助，支持一名美国研究生的研究。

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.