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Updated: Sep 6, 2025

Foreign Accent and Forensic Speaker Identification in Voice Lineups: The Influence of Acoustic Features Based on Prosody
Published on: September 27, 2024
Cross-linguistic contributions of acoustic cues and prosodic awareness to first and second language vocabulary
Wei-Lun Chung1, Linda Jarmulowicz2, Gavin M Bidelman2
1Center for Teacher Education and Career Service, National Taipei University of Education, Taiwan and Department of Education, National Taipei University of Education, Taipei, Taiwan.
Background:
Several studies have revealed that prosody contributes to reading acquisition. However, the relation between awareness of prosodic patterns and different facets of language ability (e.g., vocabulary knowledge) in school-age children remains unclear. This study measured awareness of prosodic patterns using non-speech and speech stimuli.
Methods:
Hierarchical regression equations were computed to examine links among auditory cues (e.g., amplitude rise time, pitch contour and interval), language-specific prosodic awareness and children's vocabulary knowledge in Mandarin as a first language (L1) and English as a second language (L2) after controlling for age and nonverbal IQ.
Results:
Results revealed that (1) amplitude envelope rise time discrimination predicted Mandarin L1 and English L2 vocabulary knowledge, (2) Mandarin tone perception and rhyme awareness did not predict Mandarin L1 vocabulary and (3) English rhyme awareness better predicted English L2 vocabulary than did stress production.
Conclusion:
Our findings suggest that (1) amplitude rise time, which signals syllable boundaries, is a cross-linguistic predictor of vocabulary knowledge and (2) the development of English L2 vocabulary may depend on phonological more than prosodic awareness.
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