Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
7287658 | Cognition | 2015 | 5 Pages |
Abstract
Numerous studies have revealed an asymmetry tied to the perception of coronal place of articulation: participants accept a labial mispronunciation of a coronal target, but not vice versa. Whether or not this asymmetry is based on language-general properties or arises from language-specific experience has been a matter of debate. The current study suggests a bias of the first type by documenting an early, cross-linguistic asymmetry related to coronal place of articulation. Japanese and Dutch 4- and 6-month-old infants showed evidence of discrimination if they were habituated to a labial and then tested on a coronal sequence, but not vice versa. This finding has important implications for both phonological theories and infant speech perception research.
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Authors
Sho Tsuji, Reiko Mazuka, Alejandrina Cristia, Paula Fikkert,