Pitch Ability As an Aptitude for Tone Learning

Tone languages such as Mandarin use voice pitch to signal lexical contrasts, presenting a challenge for second/foreign language (L2) learners whose native languages do not use pitch in this manner. The present study examined components of an aptitude for mastering L2 lexical tone. Native English spe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Language learning 2016-12, Vol.66 (4), p.774-808
Main Authors: Bowles, Anita R., Chang, Charles B., Karuzis, Valerie P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
aptitude
Auditory Perception
Chinese languages
Cognitive Ability
Educational activities
English
English language
Intonation
Language Aptitude
Language Tests
Learning transfer
Linguistics
Mandarin
Mandarin Chinese
musical experience
Native Language
Pitch
pitch perception
Prediction
second language
Second Language Learning
Speech perception
Task Analysis
Tone
Tone Languages
tone learning
Transfer of Training
Vocabulary Development
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Summary:Tone languages such as Mandarin use voice pitch to signal lexical contrasts, presenting a challenge for second/foreign language (L2) learners whose native languages do not use pitch in this manner. The present study examined components of an aptitude for mastering L2 lexical tone. Native English speakers with no previous tone language experience completed a Mandarin word learning task, as well as tests of pitch ability, musicality, L2 aptitude, and general cognitive ability. Pitch ability measures improved predictions of learning performance beyond musicality, L2 aptitude, and general cognitive ability and also predicted transfer of learning to new talkers. In sum, although certain nontonal measures help predict successful tone learning, the central components of tonal aptitude are pitch‐specific perceptual measures.
ISSN:0023-8333
1467-9922
DOI:10.1111/lang.12159