Seeking the onset of infant speech development: An explanation of developmental mechanisms form the perspective of Asian languages

2020 Fiscal Year Annual Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16H06319
• Research Institution: Institute of Physical and Chemical Research
• Principal Investigator: 馬塚 れい子 国立研究開発法人理化学研究所, 脳神経科学研究センター, チームリーダー (00392126)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 窪薗 晴夫 大学共同利用機関法人人間文化研究機構国立国語研究所, 理論・対照研究領域, 教授 (80153328) ; 酒井 弘 早稲田大学, 理工学術院, 教授 (50274030) ; 川原 繁人 慶應義塾大学, 言語文化研究所(三田), 准教授 (80718792) ; 宇都木 昭 名古屋大学, 人文学研究科, 准教授 (60548999) ; 久能 三枝子 (高田三枝子) 愛知学院大学, 文学部, 准教授 (90468398)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-05-31 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: 言語発達 / 乳児音声発達 / アジア言語 / 言語比較研究

Outline of Annual Research Achievements

本研究は、タイ語、韓国語、広東語、日本語という4言語を学ぶ乳児を対象として各言語の破裂音や単語レベルの韻律を獲得する過程を実験的に検証することを目標としていた。タイ語と韓国語は破裂音を3種類、広東語と日本語は破裂音を2種類持つ。主に欧米言語を対象とした実験から導かれた知覚狭窄仮説によれば、どの言語を学ぶ乳児も年少のうちから破裂音の対立を弁別できると予測される。しかし、本研究で対象とした4言語すべてにおいて、乳児が年少のうちから弁別できる対は無かった。タイ語の無声と無声有気音の対立は英語の有声・無声と同じ音響特性で弁別可能なため、タイ語の乳児にも弁別しやすいと予測していたが、これも年少児には弁別困難であった。これまでの結果は、乳幼児は大半の対立を弁別できるという知覚狭窄仮説を覆す可能性さえある重要な知見である。
また、タイ語は5種類、広東語は6種類の声調を持つ。広東語を対象として、3対の声調の組み合わせの弁別を調べたところ、2対は年少のうちから弁別できるが、1対は弁別できないことが分かり、年少児には、声調の方が破裂音よりは弁別し易い可能性が浮き上がった。又、日本語と韓国語では破裂音に関わる音響特性が世代間で急激に変化しており、乳児は祖母世代や母親世代から音響特性が混在する刺激を聞いて育つ。韓国語の破裂音の弁別実験に参加した乳児の母親が破裂音をどのように発音しているかと、乳児が破裂音をどの程度聞き分けているかの相関を分析したところ、母親が破裂音の無声・有声の対立をはっきりと区別して発音しているほど、乳児が破裂音をよく弁別していることが分かり、破裂音の弁別には、それぞれの母親の話す音声が影響していることが分かった。

Research Progress Status

令和2年度が最終年度であるため、記入しない。

Strategy for Future Research Activity

令和2年度が最終年度であるため、記入しない。

Research Products

• [Int'l Joint Research] Thammasat University(タイ)
  • Country Name: THAILAND
  • Counterpart Institution: Thammasat University
• [Int'l Joint Research] Chung Ang University(韓国)
  • Country Name: KOREA (REP. OF KOREA)
  • Counterpart Institution: Chung Ang University
• [Int'l Joint Research] Duke University(米国)
  • Country Name: U.S.A.
  • Counterpart Institution: Duke University
• [Journal Article] Does Infant-Directed Speech Help Phonetic Learning? A Machine Learning Investigation (2021)
  • Author(s): Ludusan Bogdan, Mazuka Reiko, Dupoux Emmanuel
  • Journal Title: Cognitive Science Volume: - Pages: -
  • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] How vocal temporal parameters develop: a comparative study between humans and songbirds, two distantly related vocal learners (2020)
  • Author(s): Takahasi Miki、Okanoya Kazuo、Mazuka Reiko
  • Journal Title: Journal of Language Evolution Volume: - Pages: -
  • DOI: 10.1093/jole/lzaa008
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
• [Journal Article] When context is and isn’t helpful: A corpus study of naturalistic speech (2020)
  • Author(s): Hitczenko Kasia、Mazuka Reiko、Elsner Micha、Feldman Naomi H.
  • Journal Title: Psychonomic Bulletin & Review Volume: 27 Pages: 640～676
  • DOI: 10.3758/s13423-019-01687-6
  • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] Communicative cues in the absence of a human interaction partner enhance 12-month-old infants’ word learning (2020)
  • Author(s): Tsuji Sho、Jincho Nobuyuki、Mazuka Reiko、Cristia Alejandrina
  • Journal Title: Journal of Experimental Child Psychology Volume: 191 Pages: 104740～104740
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2019.104740
  • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Intonational phonology can shed light on the nature of prosody in Japanese children with ASD: Dissociating linguistic and para-linguistic aspects of intonation. (2020)
  • Author(s): Reiko Mazuka
  • Organizer: Speech Prosody 2020, Online conference.
  • Int'l Joint Research / Invited
• [Presentation] Factors associated with separation-induced infant cortisol reactivity in a large sample study. (2020)
  • Author(s): Fukuda, Sanae, Takahasi, Miki, Yamane, Naoto, Mazuka, Reiko.
  • Organizer: First virtual congress of International Congress of Infant Studies (vICIS 2020), Online.
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Parents' income and education do not impact Japanese infants' vocabulary at 20 months. (2020)
  • Author(s): Yamane, Naoto, Takahasi, Miki, Shibata, Natsumi, Deng, Ying, Mazuka, Reiko
  • Organizer: First virtual congress of International Congress of Infant Studies (vICIS 2020), Online.
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] IDS properties that are rare in adult language can contribute significantly to language development: An fNIRS study on infant-directed vocabulary (IDV) in Japanese. (2020)
  • Author(s): Akimoto, Yoritaka, Takahasi, Miki, Yamane, Naoto, Hayashi, Akiko, Mazuka, Reiko.
  • Organizer: First virtual congress of International Congress of Infant Studies (vICIS 2020), Online.
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Infants' preference for singers: Effect of singers' singing behavior and styles. (2020)
  • Author(s): Yamane, Naoto, Ohori, Ako, Mazuka, Reiko
  • Organizer: First virtual congress of International Congress of Infant Studies (vICIS 2020), Online.
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Perception of Korean affricate contrast by native infants. (2020)
  • Author(s): Nam, Minji, Choi, Youngon, Kim, Jisoo, Jung, Sunho, Beom, Jimin, Hwang, Hyun Kyung, Mazuka, R.
  • Organizer: First virtual congress of International Congress of Infant Studies (vICIS 2020), Online.
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Development of vocal temporal parameters as a basis of acquiring species-specific sequential sounds in human infants and songbirds. (2020)
  • Author(s): Takahasi, Miki, Okanoya,Kazuo, Mazuka, Reiko
  • Organizer: First virtual congress of International Congress of Infant Studies (vICIS 2020), Online.
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Japanese-learning infants' discrimination of Japanese and Thai stop contrasts. (2020)
  • Author(s): Mazuka, Reiko, Hwang, Hyun Kyung, Yamane, Naoto, Takada, Mieko
  • Organizer: First virtual congress of International Congress of Infant Studies (vICIS 2020), Online.
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Discrimination of native and non-native three-way stops by Korean infants. (2020)
  • Author(s): Choi, Youngon, Nam, Minji, Kim, Sujin, Hwang, Hyun Kyung, Mazuka, Reiko
  • Organizer: First virtual congress of International Congress of Infant Studies (vICIS 2020), Online.
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Discrimination of /p/-/ph/ stop contrast in early speech perception of Thai infants. (2020)
  • Author(s): Onsuwan, Chutamanee, Chonmahatrakul, Nawasri, Duangmal, Juthatip, Yamane, Naoto, Hwang, Hyun Kyung, Mazuka, Reiko
  • Organizer: First virtual congress of International Congress of Infant Studies (vICIS 2020), Online.
  • Int'l Joint Research