The combined effects of L1-specific and extralinguistic factors on individual performance in a tone categorization and word identification task by English-L1 and Mandarin-L1 speakers
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Authors
Laméris, Tim Joris
Post, Brechtje
Publication Date
2022Journal Title
Second Language Research
ISSN
0267-6583
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Pages
026765832210900-026765832210900
Type
Article
This Version
VoR
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Laméris, T. J., & Post, B. (2022). The combined effects of L1-specific and extralinguistic factors on individual performance in a tone categorization and word identification task by English-L1 and Mandarin-L1 speakers. Second Language Research, 026765832210900-026765832210900. https://doi.org/10.1177/02676583221090068
Abstract
<jats:p> Adult second language learners often show considerable individual variability in the ease with which lexical tones are learned. It is known that factors pertaining to a learner’s first language (L1; such as L1 tonal status or L1 tone type) as well as extralinguistic factors (such as musical experience and working memory) modulate tone learning facility. However, how such L1-specific and extralinguistic factors affect performance together in dynamic ways is less well understood. Therefore, to unpack the potential interactions between these factors for individual learners, we assessed the combined effects of L1 tonal status, L1 tone type, and musical experience and working memory on second language (L2) tone perception and word learning in a tonal pseudolanguage by English-L1 and Mandarin-L1 adult learners, by using a pre-lexical tone categorization task and a lexical word identification task. We found that L2 tone perception and word learning were primarily facilitated by extralinguistic factors, but that the degree to which learners rely on these factors is modulated by their L1 tonal status, as for instance musical experience facilitated perception and word learning for English, but not for Mandarin participants. We also found clear effects of L1 tone type, as Mandarin participants tended to struggle with categorizing and lexically processing level tone contrasts, which do not occur in Mandarin. </jats:p>
Sponsorship
ESRC (2117864)
Identifiers
External DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/02676583221090068
This record's URL: https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/336705
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