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ERIC Number: EJ1352527
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1547-5441
EISSN: EISSN-1547-3341
Infants' Sensitivity to Lexical Tone and Word Stress in Their First Year: A Thai and English Cross-Language Study
Kalashnikova, Marina; Onsuwan, Chutamanee; Burnham, Denis
Language Learning and Development, v18 n3 p278-293 2022
Non-tone language infants' native language recognition is based first on supra-segmental then segmental cues, but this trajectory is unknown for tone-language infants. This study investigated non-tone (English) and tone (Thai) language 6- to 10-month-old infants' preference for English vs. Thai one-syllable words (containing segmental and tone cues) and two-syllable words (additionally containing stress cues). A preference for their native one-syllable words was observed in each of the two groups of infants, but this was not the case for two-syllable words where Thai-learning infants showed no native-language preference. These findings indicate that as early as six months of age, infants acquiring tone- and non-tone languages identify their native language by relying solely on lexical tone cues, but tone language infants no longer show successful identification of their native language when two pitch-based cues co-occur in the signal.
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Thailand (Bangkok); Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A