Asymmetry in French speech-in-noise perception: the effects of native dialect and cross-dialectal exposure
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Scott Kunkel
Abstract
Research has shown that speakers’ native production patterns can change after living in adulthood in a region where a second dialect (D2) of their native language is spoken, yet relatively little is known about how speech perception changes after postadolescent D2 exposure. This study explores this topic by examining how varying degrees of exposure to Quebec French and Hexagonal French affect comprehension of speech in these dialects. A speech-in-noise perception experiment was conducted among mobile and nonmobile speakers of Quebec and Hexagonal French to test the competing effects of native dialect and D2 exposure on cross-dialectal speech perception. Results show an own-dialect advantage for all groups in their comprehension of speech in noise, though this advantage is smaller for the mobile groups, particularly for the mobile Hexagonal French listeners. An effect of D2 exposure on D2 perception is also revealed for the mobile Hexagonal listeners but not for the Québécois listeners, indicating an asymmetry in cross-dialectal perception. These findings suggest that, while phonological representations for the native dialect remain robust, processing of D2 speech can improve after extended, postadolescent exposure to this dialect. Furthermore, the extent of this adaptation may be modulated by mobile listeners’ prior experience with this dialect.
Acknowledgments
My thanks go to Adam Chong, as well as to the audiences at ConSOLE32 and ICLaVE12, for their helpful feedback on earlier versions of this study. My thanks also go to Abby Walker for sharing her analysis script with me. I also thank two anonymous reviewers, whose insightful comments helped strengthen this article. Lastly, I extend my thanks to those individuals who assisted in recording and piloting the stimuli. All remaining errors are my own.
Subset of 64 French HINT sentences included in speech-in-noise experiment (from Vaillancourt et al. 2005). Non-keywords are shown in parentheses. “Audio file” refers to the unique identifier accompanying each stimulus in the OSF repository.
| Speaker | Audio file | Sentence | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| QF1 | 00007 | (Ce) musicien joue (du) piano | This musician plays the piano |
| QF1 | 00010 | (Cette) histoire (est) triste | This story is sad |
| QF1 | 00014 | (Elle) écoute (la) radio | She listens to the radio |
| QF1 | 00042 | (Il) (ne) faut (pas) manger vite | You must not eat quickly |
| QF1 | 00045 | (Il) voyage dans l’espace | He travels in space |
| QF1 | 00082 | (Le) bûcheron coupe (du) bois | The lumberjack cuts wood |
| QF1 | 00085 | (Le) chien dormait dehors | The dog was sleeping outside |
| QF1 | 00113 | (Le) chocolat (a) fondu | The chocolate melted |
| QF2 | 00008 | (Cette) dame aime (se) faire bronzer | The woman likes to tan |
| QF2 | 00017 | (Elle) nage dans (la) rivière | She swims in the river |
| QF2 | 00037 | (Il) mange (sa) soupe | He eats his soup |
| QF2 | 00042 | (Il) vit dans (la) jungle | He lives in the jungle |
| QF2 | 00051 | (Je) bois (du) chocolat chaud | I drink hot chocolate |
| QF2 | 00072 | (La) mère berce (son) enfant | The mother rocks her child |
| QF2 | 00102 | (Ma) mère range (la) vaisselle | My mother puts away the dishes |
| QF2 | 00116 | (Son) frère ramasse (les) poubelles | My brother collects the garbage |
| QF3 | 00008 | (Ces) champignons (sont) bruns | The mushrooms are brown |
| QF3 | 00023 | (Elle) prend (un) bain chaud | She is taking a warm bath |
| QF3 | 00047 | (Ils) bâtissent (une) école | They are building a school |
| QF3 | 00054 | (Je) vais m’asseoir sur (ce) banc | I am going to sit on this bench |
| QF3 | 00059 | L’écureuil grimpe dans l’arbre | The squirrel is climbing the tree |
| QF3 | 00080 | (La) valise (est) pleine de linge | The suitcase is full of laundry |
| QF3 | 00110 | (Notre) fille (se) marie demain | Our daughter is getting married tomorrow |
| QF3 | 00120 | Tout (le) monde (est) en classe | Every one is in class |
| QF4 | 00011 | (Les) choux poussent dans (le) jardin | The cabbages grow in the garden |
| QF4 | 00018 | (Le) lapin ronge (une) carotte | The rabbit gnaws on a carrot |
| QF4 | 00030 | (Elle) saute sur (le) trampoline | She is jumping on the trampoline |
| QF4 | 00032 | (Il) (est) parti (à) (la) pêche | He went fishing |
| QF4 | 00039 | L’éléphant (a) (une) longue trompe | The elephant has a long trunk |
| QF4 | 00048 | (Ils) (ont) trouvé (un) sapin | They found a fir tree |
| QF4 | 00057 | (Sa) mère fait (une) tarte | Her mother is making a tart |
| QF4 | 00119 | (Le) fromage sent mauvais | The cheese smells bad |
| HF1 | 00019 | (Elle) prend soin de (sa) mère | She takes care of her mother |
| HF1 | 00034 | (Il) (est) professeur d’histoire | He is a history professor |
| HF1 | 00038 | (Il) mange (un) morceau de tarte | He eats a piece of tart |
| HF1 | 00055 | (Le) marchand vend (des) bonbons | The shopkeeper sells candy |
| HF1 | 00074 | (Elle) pointe du doigt | She is pointing her finger |
| HF1 | 00093 | (Le) petit garçon chante bien | The little boy sings well |
| HF1 | 00099 | (Les) oiseaux chantent dans l’arbre | The birds sing in the tree |
| HF1 | 00119 | (Tu) (as) caché (mon) jouet | You hid my toy |
| HF2 | 00005 | (Ce) garçon pédale très vite | The boy pedals very quickly |
| HF2 | 00037 | (J’ai) fait cuire (du) poisson | I cooked fish |
| HF2 | 00069 | (La) cuisine (est) grande | The kitchen is big |
| HF2 | 00070 | (La) fenêtre (est) ouverte | The window is open |
| HF2 | 00079 | (La) vache mange (du) foin | The cow is eating hay |
| HF2 | 00100 | (Les) livres (sont) tous bien rangés | The books are neatly arranged |
| HF2 | 00105 | Maman (a) fait cuire (une) dinde | Mom cooked a turkey |
| HF2 | 00112 | Papa tirait (le) chariot | Daddy pulled the wagon |
| HF3 | 00015 | (Il) (a) compté jusqu’à dix | He counted to ten |
| HF3 | 00017 | (La) petite fille cherche (sa) bague | The little girl is looking for her ring |
| HF3 | 00026 | (Ma) tante fait (de) (la) couture | My aunt sews |
| HF3 | 00035 | (Il) mange avec (une) fourchette | He eats with a fork |
| HF3 | 00043 | (Les) tulipes (sont) jolies | The tulips are pretty |
| HF3 | 00091 | (La) salle (était) vide | The room was empty |
| HF3 | 00092 | Tous (les) chats (sont) gris | All the cats are gray |
| HF3 | 00117 | (Le) cochon joue dans (la) boue | The pig is playing in the mud |
| HF4 | 00001 | (C’est) (une) perle rare | It is a rare pearl |
| HF4 | 00003 | (Ce) chemin mène (au) village | This path leads to the village |
| HF4 | 00056 | L’oiseau (est) sur (une) branche | The bird is on a branch |
| HF4 | 00118 | (Le) chèvre mangeait (de) l’herbe | The goat ate grass |
| HF4 | 00089 | (Le) facteur apporte (une) lettre | The mailman delivers a letter |
| HF4 | 00109 | L’argent (est) à (la) banque | The money is at the bank |
| HF4 | 00115 | (Ses) yeux sont remplis de larmes | His eyes are filled with tears |
| HF4 | 00118 | Tous (les) poissons vivent dans l’eau | All fish live in water |
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