Temporal integration of speech prosody is shaped by language experience: an fMRI study.
Differences in hemispheric functions underlying speech perception may be related to the size of temporal integration windows over which prosodic features (e.g., pitch) span in the speech signal. Chinese tone and intonation, both signaled by variations in pitch contours, span over shorter (local) and longer (global) temporal domains, respectively. This cross-linguistic (Chinese and English) study uses functional magnetic resonance imaging to show that pitch contours associated with tones are processed in the left hemisphere by Chinese listeners only, whereas pitch contours associated with intonation are processed predominantly in the right hemisphere. These findings argue against the view that all aspects of speech prosody are lateralized to the right hemisphere, and promote the idea that varying-sized temporal integration windows reflect a neurobiological adaptation to meet the 'prosodic needs' of a particular language.
Gandour
Jack
J
Department of Audiology and Speech Sciences, Purdue University, Heavilon Hall, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1353, USA. gandour@purdue.edu
Dzemidzic
Mario
M
Wong
Donald
D
Lowe
Mark
M
Tong
Yunxia
Y
Hsieh
Li
L
Satthamnuwong
Nakarin
N
Lurito
Joseph
J
D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D013018:Sound Spectrography; D013060:Speech / Q000502:physiology*; D013067:Speech Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D013068:Speech Production Measurement; D013997:Time Factors