Page 11 - ELG2009 Sep Issue 472

RESEARCH NEWS . NEWS

Breaking the sound barrier: how Big data reveals how L1

nerve stimulation helps learners predicts L2 proficiency

By Gillian Ragsdale languages such as Mandarin and SCHEPEN, J., VAN HOUT, R. AND JAEGER, T. F .
Stimulating the vagus nerve may help perception of pitch, study shows How far does a language learner’s Japanese–and the results cannot
be generalised. You might expect
first language (L1) influence that a French speaker would find
KRAKENIMAGES.COM / SHUTTERSTOCK find out by using the speaking Turkish compared to Swahili? Distribution of L1 Dutch speaking proficiency scores (x axis)
Spanish easier than Mandarin.
proficiency in a new language? An
But how would they find learning
international study has tried to
scores of over 50,000 learners of
By using ‘big data’, very large
datasets that can only be analysed
Dutch taking state language
using computerised statistical
exams, including speakers of 62
different languages from 12
algorithms, the new study was
for a number of learner’s first language backgrounds show
able to quantify the degree of
language families.
substantial variation (sorted from lowest (top) to highest
The international study from
the Universities of Berlin,
of different L1s. For example,
Germany, Rochester, USA and difficulty experienced by speakers (bottom) mean speaking proficiency.
‘only the best 5 per cent of Arabic
and judgement of the speaker.
phonological,
influence
of
Radboud University in the leaners of Dutch were better than morphological and lexical Learners cannot alter their L1,
Netherlands, found it is possible the worst 50 per cent of German differences between the languages. but in future it may be possible to
to predict the extent to which a learners.’ This study breaks new ground, better target their learning.
By Gillian Ragsdale one it will depend on every day. researchers to create two blocks of retention of their learning when learner’s L1 will influence their L1 was not the only factor; age, as this method can be extended to
This is why adults find some tasks, one easier and one harder. tested – but again, only for the proficiency in a new language education and length of exposure identify just which specific REFERENCE
Stimulating the vagus nerve via sounds in foreign languages An intervention group of 36 easier contrasts. It remains to be It is commonly accepted that it to Dutch all predicted some of the differences are problematic for Schepen, J., van Hout, R. and
the outer ear could improve especially difficult to recognise English speakers were trained for seen whether learning harder is easier to learn a language that variation in scores. particular language pairs. Jaeger, T. F. (2020) Big data
listening skills in language and reproduce. 25 minutes by listening to tones, tasks can be improved with is similar to the learner’s L1, than However, the learner’s L1 The study focussed on speaking suggest strong constraints of
learners, according to research One famously difficult example identifying which tone was used extended use of tVNS and one that it is very different. But accounted for 9-22 per cent of the proficiency in the first instance, as linguistic similarity on adult
from the Universities of of this occurs when adult English and then being given corrective training, or whether the effects most comparisons have been variation in Dutch speaking this creates an immediate language learning. Cognition, 194:
Pittsburgh and California San speakers attempt to learn feedback. After the training, their are restricted in some way. made between Indo-European proficiency. Further analysis impression on the listener, 104056 DOI:
Francisco. Mandarin Chinese. Among the learning was assessed with a new Researchers were able to test languages and a few East Asian showed this is due to the combined influencing employment prospects 10.1016/j.cognition.2019.104056
Recognising and learning the tricky sounds for English speakers bank of examples given without whether the improvements were
new sounds of a second language is the use of tones in Mandarin corrective feedback. simply due to improved sensory
requires the same mental that change the meaning of words During training the perception, i.e. whether they Babies babble bilingually
processes an infant uses to learn but have no equivalent in English. intervention group wore an could just hear the different tones PIXABAY
their first language: attention, There are four such tones, earbud that delivered a small more clearly, but that explanation
accurate perception of the sounds differentiated by changes in pitch: electrical pulse, imperceptible to was ruled out. By Gillian Ragsdale resonant vowels. This coding was
and commitment to memory. •Tone 1: a sustained high pitch the wearer, to a point on the outer It seems that by stimulating the carried out blind by transcribers
Sounds simple, but adults often •Tone 2: starts low then rises ear. This pulse stimulates the vagus nerve directly, activity in Babies can babble in two with no knowledge of the
struggle with all three – and not •Tone 3: starts low, dips lower vagus nerve, one of the major several brain regions is enhanced, languages, finds a study from the language the infants were
just in language learning. than rises but is never high nerves with many functions so that attention is primed to University of California, Los exposed to.
As the brain matures it tends to •Tone 4: starts high then falls throughout the brain and body. receive the sensory input – the Angeles and the University of Results showed that both the
become less flexible in learning – low The study also recruited control sounds. If so, then this technique Washington. bilingual and the monolingual
less plastic. While infants Studies have shown that groups that were neither has the potential to improve many When does speech production but previously exposed babies
apparently distinguish easily English speakers are better at stimulated or trained. kinds of learning become language specific – could matched their babbling
between the sounds of different hearing the average pitch than Stimulating the vagus nerve is The authors connect these it begin before infants produce utterances to the prosody of the
languages, over time the brain the change in pitch, so find the increasingly used to treat a range findings to the ‘Social Gating words? To answer this question, speaker they were interacting
sacrifices this plasticity to focus on difference between tones 1 and 3 of conditions, such as epilepsy and Hypothesis’ of language Sundara et al recruited 30 one- with. For example, babies
recognising the characteristic easier to recognise than between severe drug-resistant depression. acquisition – the proposal that year-old babies, 20 from produced more multisyllable
sounds of its native language – the tones 2 and 4. This enabled the In these cases, stimulation is social interaction produces the monolingual English homes and utterances when responding to
applied by a device inside the increased arousal and attention in 10 from homes bilingual in English Spanish than when responding to
ILANOS, F ., MCHANEY, J. R., SCHUERMAN, W. L., YI, H. G., LEONARD, M. K. AND CHANDRASEKARAN, B. in this study, by contrast, is easy to the adult brain to a sense of in Spanish. babbling when speakers switched New research shows that it’s never too early to start learning
the infant brain necessary to
and Spanish. Furthermore, 10 of
chest and has a number of safety
English. Monolingual babies who
issues. The transcutaneous vagus
had not been previously exposed
the monolingual babies were
process language. In that sense,
nerve stimulation, or tVNS, used
exposed to five hours’ interaction
tVNS may succeed by returning
to Spanish did not match their
infantile excitement.
The three groups of 10 babies
use and non-invasive.
from English to Spanish.
were then recorded as they

Learners who wore earbuds
This suggests that even before
the first recognisable words are
REFERENCE
interacted with speakers of
supplying tVNS significantly
Ilanos, F., McHaney, J. R.,
English and Spanish. The
outperformed controls on the
spoken, babies are altering their
easier contrasts, but not the
Schuerman, W. L., Yi, H. G.,
speech production in response to
resulting babbling was coded into
Leonard, M. K. and
‘utterances’ – strings of vowels
harder contrasts. During the six
language – and it is never too
blocks of training tasks, learners
and syllables separated by at least
early to start exposing a baby to
Chandrasekaran, B. (2020) Non-
a second language
language.
second
The
block 3 as controls after all six
The coded utterances were
stimulation selectively enhances
Sundara M, Ward N, Conboy,
blocks – a 26 per cent increase in
transcribed to give an account of
Cognition 1–14.
speech category learning in adults,
the effect needs the feedback
npj Science of Learning 5: 12
B and Kuhl PK (2020). Exposure
from real social interaction rather
the prosody apparent in the
https://doi.org/10.1017/S13667
learning speed.
28919000853
to a second language in infancy
After training, learners that had
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-
than exposure to recorded
babbling in terms, for example, of
Pitch contours of the four Mandarin Chinese tones across with tVNS were as competent by invasive peripheral nerve 70 milliseconds of silence. a researchers warn, though, that REFERENCE Bilingualism: Language and
syllables and female speakers included in the study the tVNS also showed better 020-0070-0 the use of multiple syllables and language. alters speech production.
10 September 2020 editorial@elgazette.com 11