LINGUIST List 24.539
Wed Jan 30 2013
Diss: Cognitive Science/ Lang Acq/ Phonetics/ Phonology/ Psycholing/ Chinese, Mandarin: Bradley: 'Crosslinguistic Perception of Pitch in Language and Music'
Editor for this issue: Lili Xia
<lxialinguistlist.org>
Date: 29-Jan-2013
From: Evan Bradley <evan.d.bradley
lawrence.edu>
Subject: Crosslinguistic Perception of Pitch in Language and Music
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Institution: University of Delaware
Program: Department of Linguistics & Cognitive Science
Dissertation Status: Completed
Degree Date: 2013
Author: Evan D Bradley
Dissertation Title: Crosslinguistic Perception of Pitch in Language and Music
Dissertation URL:
http://www.evanbradley.net/research.shtml#dissertation
Linguistic Field(s):
Cognitive Science
Language Acquisition
Phonetics
Phonology
Psycholinguistics
Subject Language(s):
Chinese, Mandarin (cmn)
Dissertation Director:
Irene Vogel
Jeffrey N. Heinz
Dissertation Abstract:
This dissertation investigates the ways in which experience with lexical toneinfluences the perception of musical melody, and how musical training influencesthe perception of lexical tone. The central theoretical basis for the study is amodel of perceptual learning, Reverse Hierarchy Theory (Ahissar et al., 2009), inwhich cognitive processes like language tune neural resources to provide thesensory information necessary for the perceptual task; these sensory resourcesare then available to other cognitive processes, like music, which rely on thesame perceptual properties. This study proposes that the tone properties pitchheight, pitch direction, and pitch slope correspond to the melodic properties key,contour, and interval , respectively, and this correspondance underlies crossovereffects between lexical tone and melody perception.
Specifically, the study asks three questions:
1. whether differences in melody perception between tone and non-tonelanguage speakers, and among speakers of different tone languages, can belinked to
specific properties of the languages’ tonal inventories;
2. whether melody perception is affected by second language experience with atone language; and
3. whether musical ear-training leads to enhanced perception of lexical tone.
To address (1), a standardized test of music perception (the Musical Ear Test;Wallentin et al. (2010)) was administered to tone (Mandarin and Yoruba) andnontone (English) language speakers. Tone language speakers demonstratemore accurate melody perception than English speakers; rather than a uniformadvantage, however, this effect is limited to those specific properties argued tobe shared between language and music. Further, Mandarin and Yorubaspeakers do not perform identically on melodic perception, suggesting linguisticeffects on melody perception are related to differences between the tonalinventories of the languages. Attempts to extend this hypothesis to second-
language tone experience (2) were not successful; Mandarin learners did notperceive melody similarly to native speakers. Further study with more proficientsecond language speakers is necessary. The role of explicit perceptual musictraining (3) was examined by assessing the effects of aural skills training onmusicians’ perception of Mandarin lexical tones. The results reveal that thistraining did not lead to improvement in the perception of these tones in a similarfashion to native or second language speakers of Mandarin, but did changemusicians’ response bias toward the tones in a manner consistent the generalhypothesis.
This work attempts to better understand pitch perception within a theoreticalframework of perceptual learning. Taken together, the results partially supportthe specific proposed mappings between structural properties of language andmusic, and more generally support a framework for explaining these and othercases of crossover between language and music. These findings addressquestions of cognitive modularity and the relationship between language andmusic, as well the role of sensory experience during development and adulthood.
Page Updated: 30-Jan-2013