Cross-Linguistic Phonetic Variation in Bilingual Speech: Cantonese /n/ > [l] Merger in Early Cantonese-English Bilinguals.

/n/ is merging with /l/ in Cantonese, as well as in several other Chinese languages. The Cantonese merger appears categorical, with /n/ becoming /l/ syllable-initially. This project aims to describe /n/ and /l/ in Cantonese and English speech from early Cantonese-English bilinguals to better understand the status of the merger in Cantonese and its potential for cross-linguistic mutual influence.

Quantitative, not qualitative, differences in word classification errors as a function of language dominance.

This paper reports the results of a Cantonese word categorization task that maximized lexical competition. Cantonese-English early bilinguals were presented with a Cantonese word, followed by four images depicting the target word and a tone, rhyme, and onset competitor. English-dominant listeners made more errors than Cantonese-dominant listeners, but the proportions of error types were equivalent across language dominance profiles.

Phonetic and Lexical Encoding of Tone in Cantonese Heritage Speakers.

Heritage speakers contend with at least two languages: the less dominant first language (L1), that is, the heritage language, and the more dominant second language (L2). In some cases, their L1 and L2 bear striking phonological differences. In the current study, we investigate Toronto-born Cantonese heritage speakers and their maintenance of Cantonese lexical tone, a linguistic feature that is absent from English, the more dominant L2.

Language dominance and order of acquisition affect auditory translation priming in heritage speakers.

Late second language (L2) learners show translation priming from the first language (L1) to the second language (L1-L2), while L2-L1 effects are inconsistent. Late L2 learners also acquire the L2 after the L1 and are typically less dominant in the L2. As such, the relative contribution of language dominance and order of acquisition is confounded in these results.

Lexical bias in second language perception: Word position, age of arrival, and native language phonology.

The study examines whether non-native listeners leverage their L2 lexicon during a phonetic identification task and whether lexical bias is influenced by word position and length. Native English and native Mandarin speakers were tested on English words where the natural sibilant was replaced by one member of a nine-step [s]/[ʃ] continuum. English speakers experience a lexical bias effect for longer words.

F0-related head movement in blind versus sighted speakers.

This study investigated the relationship between head movement and fundamental frequency (F0) during speech by comparing continuous speech of congenitally blind and sighted speakers from YouTube videos. Positive correlations were found between F0 (measured in semitones) and vertical head movement for both speaker groups, with a stronger correlation for blind speakers. In addition, larger head movements and larger head movement per semitone ratios were observed for sighted speakers.