Perceptual learning of Cantonese lexical tones by tone and non-tone language speakers

Two groups of listeners, one of native speakers of a tone language (Mandarin Chinese) and one of native speakers of a non-tone language (English) were trained to recognize Cantonese lexical tones. Performance before and after training was measured using closed response-set identification and pairwise difference rating tasks. Difference ratings were submitted to multidimensional scaling (MDS) analyses to investigate training-related changes in listeners’ perceptual space. Both groups showed comparable initial performance and significant improvement in tone identification following training. However, the two groups differed in terms of the tones they found most difficult to identify, and in terms of the tones that were learned best. Differences between the two groups’ training-induced changes in identification (confusions) and perceptual spaces demonstrated that listeners’ native language experience with intonational as well as tone categories affects the perception and acquisition of non-native suprasegmental categories.