First Language Experience Shapes the Perceptual Integrality of Foreign Tones and Segmental Information: Evidence from Cantonese and English Listeners

Abstract

<p>First language (L1) experience drives listeners to process tone and segmental information integrally or independently. Previous studies showed that tone language listeners perceive tones and segmental information integrally in their L1 (Choi et al., 2017; Tong et al., 2008; Yu et al., 2023). To enrich the literature of cross-language transfer in speech perception, we investigated whether L1 perceptual integrality can transfer to foreign speech perception. To this end, we tested whether Cantonese and English listeners perceive Thai tone and segmental information integrally or independently. Participants completed a modified AX discrimination task that consisted of a control block (without segmental variation) and an orthogonal block (with segmental variation). Cantonese listeners showed longer response times, reduced accuracy, and lower sensitivity index in the orthogonal block compared to their performance in the control block. Conversely, English listeners displayed similar response times, accuracy, and sensitivity index in both blocks, indicating independent processing. These results suggest that Cantonese listeners process information integrally, while English listeners do not. This finding supports the Dimensional Transfer Hypothesis, which posits that a listener's L1 perceptual experience shapes their perception of foreign suprasegmental and segmental information.</p>