Difficulty in learning L2 tones: Insights from the incidental learning of tone-segment mappings

Abstract

Most previous studies on second language (L2) tone learning focused on explicit processes such as L2 tone identification/discrimination. However, the ability to identify/discriminate L2 tones does not entail the ability to encode pitch patterns as abstract tone categories at the word level, a pre-requisite for using them as lexical cues. This contribution reports an experiment on incidental learning of tone-segment mappings, which hinges on encoding pitch patterns as abstract tone categories at the word level. 80 Cantonese and English musicians and non-musicians were recruited. Results show that while the four subject groups distinguished the target tones similarly well perceptually, Cantonese speakers showed a learning effect of the target tone-segment mappings but English speakers did not, regardless of their musical background. This suggests that tone language speakers are able to implicitly categorize pitch contours as tone categories at the word level but nontone language speakers cannot, regardless of their prior musical training.