An Overview of a Research Project and Preliminary Results of Two Experiments on Perception and Production of Foreign Language Sounds by Musicians and Non-Musicians
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Dept. for Speech, Music and Hearing Quarterly Progress and Status Report An overview of a research project and preliminary results of two experiments on perception and production of foreign language sounds by musicians and non-musicians Pastuszek-Lipinska, B. journal: TMH-QPSR volume: 46 number: 1 year: 2004 pages: 061-074 http://www.speech.kth.se/qpsr TMH-QPSR, KTH, Vol. 46, 2004 An overview of a research project and preliminary results of two experiments on perception and production of foreign language sounds by musicians and non-musicians Barbara Pastuszek-Lipinska Department of Speech, Music and Hearing, KTH, Stockholm, Sweden, and School of English, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland e-mail address: [email protected]; [email protected] The paper has been accepted for a workshop "Speech perception within or outside of phonology?" - part of the 27th annual DGfS conference and will be presented on February 2005 in Cologne (Germany). Abstract This paper presents an overview of a new research project and outlines its design, goals and main aims, and the steps that have been already taken and will be undertaken within the project. Finally, preliminary results from two pilot experiments (pitch contour tracing and listening test) are presented. The project aims at investigating the influence of musical training and education on foreign language acquisition and specifically its influence on perception and production of foreign language sounds. This paper provides behavioural evidence on the issue. Studies and analysis of gathered data are currently underway and more detailed research results will be described in future publications. 1. Introduction training, for example, can influence the process of second language (L2) acquisition. In a series of earlier experiments, a number of researchers have investigated foreign language 1.1 What we know about language speech perception and production by normal development? healthy people (for review see Best, 1995; Bohn, 1995; Strange, 1995; Hume & Johnson, 2003; Many research studies provide evidence that at and works by Escudero, 2002). However, there birth, infants are able to distinguish all phonetic are still only a few investigations of the contrasts in the world’s languages (Polka, 1995). differences between people with normal hearing Several research study results have shown that and those with a professionally trained auditory young infants aged 6-8 months have excellent system – musicians. auditory capacities and can discriminate both Although music and language production native and non-native contrasts (Trehub, 1976). (speech) are in many respects different they also By the end of the first year of life, the ability have several similarities that may be inter- seems to disappear (Kuhl, 1995; Werker & Tees, related. They are two specifically human 1984), and gradually diminishes in the following phenomena. Both are conveyed by sounds and, years. in both, the human auditory system is involved. Researchers who have examined the evo- It is not surprising that such issues attract lution of language from the first months of a researchers from different domains to investi- human’s life have reported that the ability to gate the similarities and differences between discriminate can be connected with auditory music and language (for instance, music sensitivity (Kuhl, 2000) and that this capability processing and language processing, and music is changed by speech produced by adults who perception and speech perception). have contact with an infant. In this way, Our aim is to find out if one domain language experience and exposure has been influences another and to what extent musical recognized as the most important agent that Speech, Music and Hearing, KTH, Stockholm, Sweden 61 TMH-QPSR, KTH, Vol. 46: 61-74, 2004 Pastuszek-Lipinska, B: Perception and production .... provokes changes necessary to discriminate new non-native contrasts and speech sounds still speech sounds. exists throughout the human life span but is Interestingly, the auditory acquisition and subject to “reorganization” (Diamond et al., thus the prosodic acquisition of a particular 1994; Polka, 1995; Werker & Pegg, 1992). So, it language seems to be completed before a baby seems that the human capacity to discriminate starts talking (first words by the end of the first foreign language sounds exists but is limited by year of its life) and all without any formal lack of experience and stimulation during many instructions. years of life. There is a consensus that language experi- In support of this evidence, several labo- ence plays an important role and has a crucial ratory studies have recently shown that impact on speech perception and production perception of non-native speech sounds can be (Gandour et al., 1998; Zhang et al., 2000). Many learned through special training (Dziubalska- approaches to L2 perception suggest that first Kolaczyk, 2003; Kjellin, 1999; Lively et al., language (L1) background plays an important 1994; Sari, 1996) and that the human auditory role also in L2 perception and has influence on cortex can be shaped by the manner in which the way in which non-native sounds are sounds are combined into words and sentences perceived (Ingram & Park, 1997). (phonological grammar)1 (Jacquemot et al., There is a consensus that children are able to 2003) that support neuropsychological evidence learn a particular language by only listening to on plasticity in the brain and human auditory its production, although during the process of functions. language acquisition they have to detect the Thus, adults have to work harder than relevant acoustic cues and then the relative children on acquiring a new language but, importance that the cues have in speech according to new research results, adults like production (Nittrouer, 2000). children can achieve native-like production of In speech perception people, i.e., native foreign language sounds. speakers usually are not conscious of the As scientists from other domains interested acoustic cues connected with their mother in cognitive science say, we can agree that tongue. “earlier means better” but we should also like to Studies in second language learning have say that to enable appropriate stimulation is to also found that listeners are more efficient at enable an environment for changes, possibilities perceiving sounds of their mother tongue than and new challenges. those of a new language acquired later in life Researchers also emphasize the important (e.g. Best et al. 1988; Best, 1994; Dupoux et al., role of prosody in second language speech 1997; Harnsberger, 2001; Hume & Johnson, perception and production (Chun, 1998; Kjellin, 2003; Polka & Werker, 1994; Strange, 1995). It 1999). They point out that when students start to seems, however, that first language has an learn a new language, some time is usually impact on second language and the process of a needed in order to learn to pronounce phonemes perceptual attunement to the native language that are not present in their native language. Yet contrasts decreases the ability of discrimination experience shows that a person with a good of some non-native contrasts. organization of a discourse, good grammar, and People learning new languages in adole- good knowledge of words and their meaning scence or adulthood often have difficulty in who lacks correct timing and pitch will be discrimination of non-native contrasts; the harder to understand. prosodic acquisition of a new language seems to So, it seems that there is a need to examine be difficult (Werker & Tees, 2002). which agents can aid the process. Adults who start learning a new language, It would be also interesting to find out under and already know in practice at least their native which conditions human ability to discriminate language, have to face many boundaries, different language sounds is maintained and because the process of maturation of their trained across the life span. auditory system is completed (Rauschecker, 2003). Yet, research studies show that adults compare poorly with children in phonetic units discrimination. Studies of adult subjects have shown, 1 Phonological grammar (Kay, JD 1989, Phonology: however, that the auditory ability to discriminate a cognitive view: LEA: Hillsdale, NJ.) 62 TMH-QPSR, KTH, Vol. 46, 2004 1.2 Music in human life and cognition Researchers working in speech perception as stimuli in treatment and therapy and who are interested in speech development have found that infant-directed speech is in a Music plays an important role in all cultures number of aspects music-like (e.g. regular and, similar to language, is a means of commu- rhythms, slow tempo, pitch contours expanded nication between people. Music accompanies and repeated with altered lexical or segmental our everyday life and several research studies content and varying tempo, extended vowels (as have been so far devoted to the investigation of in song)) and finally musical qualities. Linguists its influence on several aspects of human life. also claim that infant-directed speech has a Music is already used in different kind of distinct suprasegmental structure (for review trainings that aim to improve health, e.g. after see: Trehub & Trainor, 1993). brain injuries, during mental and psychological Fernald (1992) even claimed that: “long trainings. before they understand language, babies find out As a good example, results of research what’s on their mothers’ minds through studies at the Institute for Music Research, emotional