Crosslinguistic Perception of Pitch in Language and Music
Year: 2012
Type: dissertation
Abstract: This dissertation investigates the ways in which experience with lexical tone influences the perception of musical melody, and how musical training influences the perception of lexical tone. The central theoretical basis for the study is a model of perceptual learning, Reverse Hierarchy Theory (Ahissar et al., 2009), in which cognitive processes like language tune neural resources to provide the sensory information necessary for the perceptual task; these sensory resources are then available to other cognitive processes, like music, which rely on the same perceptual properties. This study proposes that the tone properties pitch height, pitch direction, and pitch slope correspond to the melodic properties key, contour, and interval , respectively, and this correspondance underlies crossover effects between lexical tone and melody perception. Specifically, the study asks three questions: 1. whether differences in melody perception between tone and non-tone language speakers, and among speakers of different tone languages, can be linked to specific properties of the languages’ tonal inventories; 2. whether melody perception is affected by second language experience with a tone language; and 3. whether musical ear-training leads to enhanced perception of lexical tone. To address (1), a standardized test of music perception (the Musical Ear Test; Wallentin et al. (2010)) was administered to tone (Mandarin and Yoruba)
Author: Evan D. Bradley
Language: English
Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2462332492