Monolingual and Bilingual Infants' Ability to Use Non-native Tone for Word Learning Deteriorates by the Second Year After Birth.

Liquan Liu,René Kager

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00117

Abstract

Previous studies reported a non-native word learning advantage for bilingual infants at around 18 months. We investigated developmental changes in infant interpretation of sounds that aid in object mapping. Dutch monolingual and bilingual (exposed to Dutch and a second non-tone-language) infants’ word learning ability was examined on two novel label–object pairings using syllables differing in Mandarin tones as labels (flat vs. falling). Infants aged 14–15 months, regardless of language backgrounds, were sensitive to violations in the label–objects pairings when lexical tones were switched compared to when they were the same as habituated. Conversely at 17–18 months, neither monolingual nor bilingual infants demonstrated learning. Linking with existing literature, infants’ ability to associate non-native tones with meanings may be related to tonal acoustic properties and/or perceptual assimilation to native prosodic categories. These findings provide new insights into the relation between infant tone perception, learning, and interpretative narrowing from a developmental perspective.

Highlights

As new language learners, young infants need to determine the possible sound forms in the ambient environment that entail lexical relevance
Young infants need to determine the possible sound forms in the ambient environment that entail lexical relevance. They must learn to ignore acoustic sound contrasts that do not carry meanings. This task may be more challenging for infants exposed to more than one language, which accounts for more than 50% of the world population (Grosjean, 2010), how bilingual infants acquire language is largely derived from research studying monolingual infants
The current study adds to our understanding of non-native tone-language learning and investigates the intersection of linguistic and lexical development by examining the learning of minimal pairs involving a tonal contrast across non-tone-language learning monolingual and bilingual infants in the second year after birth

Summary

Introduction

Young infants need to determine the possible sound forms in the ambient environment that entail lexical relevance. They must learn to ignore acoustic sound contrasts that do not carry meanings. This task may be more challenging for infants exposed to more than one language, which accounts for more than 50% of the world population (Grosjean, 2010), how bilingual infants acquire language is largely derived from research studying monolingual infants. The current study adds to our understanding of non-native tone-language learning and investigates the intersection of linguistic and lexical development by examining the learning of minimal pairs involving a tonal contrast across non-tone-language learning monolingual and bilingual infants in the second year after birth

Methods

Results

Conclusion