Cantonese-learning infants' perception of Mandarin tones

Abstract

The present study focused on Cantonese-learning infants’ perception of Mandarin tones. It examined whether acoustical salience of tone contrasts affects young infants’ discrimination performance, and whether there is a developmental change in the discrimination pattern. It also investigated if the direction of tone presentation influences their perception. Results showed that young infants aged 4 to 6 months (n = 32) were able to discriminate the most acoustically distinct Tone 1 vs. 3 contrast but not the most acoustically similar Tone 2 vs. 3 contrast. Older infants aged 8 to 10 months (n = 34) discriminated equally well for both contrasts, indicating improvement was evident in discrimination of the similar contrast at an older age. Directional asymmetry in perception was found in older infants, such that Tone 1 vs. 3 contrast and Tone 2 vs. 3 contrast were better discriminated when Tone 1 and Tone 3 were used for habituation respectively. These findings suggest that tonal language-learning infants’ perception of nonnative tones across the first year of life is not universal but depends on their general auditory ability and listening experience to lexical tones.