Abstract
This study investigates word-learning using a new experimental paradigm that integrates three processes: (a) extracting a word out of a continuous sound sequence, (b) inferring its referential meanings in context, (c) mapping the segmented word onto its broader intended referent, such as other objects of the same semantic category, and to novel utterances. Previous work has examined the role of statistical learning and/or of prosody in each of these processes separately. Here, we combine these strands of investigation into a single experimental approach, in which participants viewed a photograph belonging to one of three semantic categories while hearing a complex, five-word utterance containing a target word. Six between-subjects conditions were tested with 20 adult participants each. In condition 1, the only cue to word-meaning mapping was the co-occurrence of word and referents. This statistical cue was present in all conditions. In condition 2, the target word was sounded at a higher pitch. In condition 3, random words were sounded at a higher pitch, creating an inconsistent cue. In condition 4, the duration of the target word was lengthened. In conditions 5 and 6, an extraneous acoustic cue and a visual cue were associated with the target word, respectively. Performance in this word-learning task was significantly higher than that observed with simple co-occurrence only when pitch prominence consistently marked the target word. We discuss implications for the pragmatic value of pitch marking as well as the relevance of our findings to language acquisition and language evolution.
Highlights
A crucial issue in the study of word learning is the inherent uncertainty of the referential act of naming in sound-meaning associations (Quine, 1960), sometimes called the “Gavagai!” problem
Our study builds on three key findings from previous research: (i) cross-situational statistical regularities, expressed as co-occurrence between labels and their intended referent across different visual scenes, favor learning of conventionally defined sound-meaning associations (Yu and Smith, 2007), (ii) the statistically regular co-occurrence between a target word and its intended referent through learning trials facilitates object categorization, i.e., the extension of target words to multiple exemplars of the visual referent (Waxman and Braun, 2005); and (iii) the exaggerated pitch parameter cross-culturally employed in infant-directed speech (IDS) provides markers of acoustic salience that guide selective attention and are often used to highlight target words (Grieser and Kuhl, 1988; Fernald and Mazzie, 1991; Aslin et al, 1996)
We found that performance in the EIM task was significantly higher than that observed with simple co-occurrence only when pitch prominence consistently marked the target label
Summary
A crucial issue in the study of word learning is the inherent uncertainty of the referential act of naming in sound-meaning associations (Quine, 1960), sometimes called the “Gavagai!” problem. Both the child acquiring spoken language and the adult learning a new language have to map sounds onto referents, a problem that involves the triple challenge of (a) extracting (i.e., identifying and remembering) a word out of a continuous sound sequence, (b) inferring one or more possible referents within the current visual scene, and (c) mapping the segmented word onto its broader intended referential/pragmatic meaning(s), and/or grammatical role(s) (Bloom, 2000). Our study builds on three key findings from previous research: (i) cross-situational statistical regularities, expressed as co-occurrence between labels and their intended referent across different visual scenes, favor learning of conventionally defined sound-meaning associations (Yu and Smith, 2007), (ii) the statistically regular co-occurrence between a target word and its intended referent through learning trials facilitates object categorization, i.e., the extension of target words to multiple exemplars of the visual referent (Waxman and Braun, 2005); and (iii) the exaggerated pitch parameter cross-culturally employed in infant-directed speech (IDS) provides markers of acoustic salience that guide selective attention and are often used to highlight target words (Grieser and Kuhl, 1988; Fernald and Mazzie, 1991; Aslin et al, 1996)
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