Prosodic bootstrapping of syntax from cochlear implant-simulated speech

Abstract

It has been well-documented that prosodic boundaries often align with syntactic boundaries, and that both infants and adults capitalize on prosodic cues to bootstrap knowledge of syntax. However, it is less clear which prosodic cues—pre-boundary lengthening, pauses, and/or pitch resets across boundaries—are necessary for this bootstrapping to occur. It is also unknown how syntax acquisition is impacted for listeners who do not have access to the full spectrum of prosodic information. These questions were addressed using noise vocoded speech, which simulates speech perceived through a cochlear implant. While pre-boundary lengthening and pauses are well-transmitted through noise vocoded speech, pitch is not. In two experiments, adults listening to noise vocoded speech performed similarly to adults listening to unmanipulated speech in syntax acquisition tasks. This suggests that lengthening and pause cues alone are sufficient to facilitate acquisition of some syntactic structures, and that listeners with cochlear implants may be able to bootstrap syntax using prosody in a similar way as individuals with normal hearing.