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      Phonetic learning as a pathway to language: new data and native language magnet theory expanded (NLM-e).

      Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
      Auditory Pathways, physiology, Humans, Infant, Language, Language Development, Phonetics, Speech Perception

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          Abstract

          Infants' speech perception skills show a dual change towards the end of the first year of life. Not only does non-native speech perception decline, as often shown, but native language speech perception skills show improvement, reflecting a facilitative effect of experience with native language. The mechanism underlying change at this point in development, and the relationship between the change in native and non-native speech perception, is of theoretical interest. As shown in new data presented here, at the cusp of this developmental change, infants' native and non-native phonetic perception skills predict later language ability, but in opposite directions. Better native language skill at 7.5 months of age predicts faster language advancement, whereas better non-native language skill predicts slower advancement. We suggest that native language phonetic performance is indicative of neural commitment to the native language, while non-native phonetic performance reveals uncommitted neural circuitry. This paper has three goals: (i) to review existing models of phonetic perception development, (ii) to present new event-related potential data showing that native and non-native phonetic perception at 7.5 months of age predicts language growth over the next 2 years, and (iii) to describe a revised version of our previous model, the native language magnet model, expanded (NLM-e). NLM-e incorporates five new principles. Specific testable predictions for future research programmes are described.

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          Author and article information

          Journal
          17846016
          2606791
          10.1098/rstb.2007.2154

          Chemistry
          Auditory Pathways,physiology,Humans,Infant,Language,Language Development,Phonetics,Speech Perception
          Chemistry
          Auditory Pathways, physiology, Humans, Infant, Language, Language Development, Phonetics, Speech Perception

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