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Related Experiment Videos

Training American listeners to perceive Mandarin tones.

Y Wang1, M M Spence, A Jongman

  • 1Cornell Phonetics Laboratory, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA. yw36@cornell.edu

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
|January 1, 2000
PubMed
Summary

Auditory training significantly improved Mandarin tone identification for American learners. This training enhanced perception of non-native suprasegmental features and showed lasting retention.

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Area of Science:

  • Second Language Acquisition
  • Phonetics and Phonology
  • Auditory Perception

Background:

  • Auditory training is effective for identifying non-native speech sounds (segmental distinctions).
  • Its applicability to non-native suprasegmental contrasts, specifically Mandarin tones, remains less explored.
  • Understanding suprasegmental perception is crucial for advanced second language (L2) proficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effectiveness of auditory training for acquiring non-native suprasegmental contrasts (Mandarin tones).
  • To determine if training gains generalize to new auditory stimuli and talkers.
  • To assess the long-term retention of Mandarin tone identification skills.

Main Methods:

  • Employed the high-variability paradigm for auditory training.

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  • Eight American learners of Mandarin participated in eight training sessions over two weeks.
  • Trained participants to identify the four Mandarin tones in natural words produced by native speakers.

    • Main Results:

    • Significant average increase of 21% in identification accuracy from pretest to post-test.
    • Training gains generalized to new stimuli (18% increase) and new talkers/stimuli (25% increase).
    • A six-month retention test showed sustained improvement (average 21% increase from pretest).

    Conclusions:

    • Auditory training is effective for improving the perception of non-native suprasegmental contrasts like Mandarin tones.
    • Perceptual modification of suprasegmental features is achievable through targeted training.
    • L2 acquisition processes at segmental and suprasegmental levels may share analogous learning mechanisms.