Identification of prominence and discrimination of pitch patterns by Japanese and American listeners.

Abstract

This study examines how native language shapes the perception of prominence in three-syllable nonce words nenema with F0 patterns varying in F0 peak alignment and F0 fall. F0 is the fundamental cue to perception of pitch accent in Japanese, in which the accent location and accent type (accented versus unaccented phrases) are mainly defined by the relationship between the F0 peak, which is associated with the accented syllable, and the F0 fall, which follows the peak. In English, F0 fall is not considered to be a cue to stress. In two experiments, the alignment of the F0 peak (eight locations) and the F0 fall (no fall, moderate fall, steep fall) were manipulated. In the identification task, participants were asked to decide whether the first or the second syllable sounded more prominent to them. In the discrimination task, participants decided whether the pitch patterns of two words were the same or different. Japanese listeners were expected to be more sensitive to the F0 fall than American listeners for all F0 peak locations. Difference in the perception of peak location between the groups was also predicted, as a reflection of peak delay typical to the native language.