Abstract
AbstractAn important issue in language acquisition is understanding the function of suprasegmental information (e.g., tones) in spoken word recognition. Recent research found that three-year-old mo...
Highlights
An important issue in language acquisition is understanding the function of suprasegmental information in spoken word recognition
This study found that threeyear-old Mandarin learners recognized words that were mispronounced using a novel tone that is unrelated to the Mandarin tone system
These findings suggested that word recognition was faster with correctly pronounced (CP) words than with MP words
Summary
An important issue in language acquisition is understanding the function of suprasegmental information (e.g., tones) in spoken word recognition. Recent research found that three-year-old monolingual Mandarin learners recognized Mandarin words that were mispronounced using another Mandarin tone This finding suggests that tone learners may have a tolerance of tone variation in spoken word recognition (i.e., their acceptance of tonally mispronounced words) by three years of age. Research on English acquisition has shown that children tend to accept tone variation in spoken word recognition, suggesting that tone has a weak relationship to word identity Is this finding specific to nontonal languages that do not rely on tones to distinguish word identity? Ma, Zhou, Crain, and Gao (2017a, 2017b) examined Mandarin-learning children’s tone sensitivity in spoken word recognition They found that three-year-old Mandarin learners recognized Mandarin words that were mispronounced using another Mandarin tone, suggesting that tone learners have a tolerance of tone variation in spoken word recognition by three years of age. This tolerance is not specific to tone mispronunciations produced using another Mandarin tone
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
