William Choi
Biographic Data
| ID | 3821677 |
|---|---|
| NAME | William Choi |
| GIVEN NAMES | William |
| FAMILY NAME | Choi |
| SIGNATURE | CHOI W |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Hong Kong |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-7981-7782 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 12 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 5 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 12 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2020 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Non-Natives Are Not Always Disadvantaged
Aim: This study investigated whether a Cantonese advantage in English lexical stress perception would benefit word learning. Methodology: Twenty Cantonese listeners and 20 English listeners completed four sessions of English word learning, in which the English pseudowords differed in segmental information, lexical stress, or both. Half of the English pseudowords had vowel reduction, while the other half did not. Data and Analysis: The sample size…
Integrating Theoretical Perspectives
In recent decades, there has been considerable evidence suggesting that music training can improve word reading. However, the mechanisms through which music training enhances word reading remain an open question. Although various claims and hypotheses have been proposed, they are scattered across the literature. By reviewing existing research, this narrative review article identifies three possible theoretical accounts: the perceptual account, th…
The roles of tonal L2 proficiency and cognitive demand in early-stage L3/Ln tone imitation
Empirical evidence suggests that the second language (L2) influence on speech learning of third and additional languages (L3/Ln) can be accounted for by the L2 Status Factor Model (L2SF). However, several aspects warrant further consideration to extend the explanatory scope of L2SF, including the roles of L2 proficiency, suprasegmental-level processing, and cognitive demand. To address these gaps, the present study investigates whether and how to…
Can you hear me clearly? The differential effects of surgical mask on Cantonese consonant, vowel, and tone perception
This study examined the differential effects of surgical mask on Cantonese consonant, vowel, and tone perception. Forty native Cantonese adults were tested with the Cantonese consonant, vowel, and tone identification tasks. Each task contained four blocks: quiet-no mask, noisy-no mask, quiet-surgical mask, and noisy-surgical mask. Bayesian analyses revealed that the Cantonese listeners identified consonants, vowels, and tones with similar accurac…
Cantonese Tone Perception by Punjabi Speakers of Cantonese
This study tested whether the Perceptual Assimilation Model of Second Language Speech Learning (PAM-L2) predicts second language (L2) Cantonese tone discrimination across different perceptual modes. Punjabi speakers of Cantonese completed the Cantonese tone assimilation and discrimination tasks. In the assimilation task, the Punjabi listeners assimilated the Cantonese tones as two-category (TC), single-category (SC), uncategorized-categorized wit…
Musical Advantage in Lexical Tone Perception Hinges on Musical Instrument
Different musical instruments have different pitch processing demands. However, correlational studies have seldom considered the role of musical instruments in music-to-language transfer. Addressing this research gap could contribute to a nuanced understanding of music-to-language transfer. To this end, we investigated whether pitched musicians had a unique musical advantage in lexical tone perception relative to unpitched musicians and nonmusici…
Do Cantonese listeners have a non-native advantage in English stress-related lexical decision
Emerging evidence shows that non-native speakers can outperform native speakers in speech perception. This study investigated whether a non-native advantage in speech perception could feed forward to lexical decision. First language Cantonese and English listeners completed an English stress discrimination task, an English lexical decision task, and a non-verbal intelligence task. Perceptually, the Cantonese listeners showed a non-native advantag…
Perceptual integrality of foreign segmental and tonal information
This study investigates whether (a) Cantonese and (b) English listeners integrally or independently perceive Thai tone and segmental information. Listeners completed a modified AX discrimination task that contained a control block (without segmental variation) and an orthogonal block (with segmental variation). Relative to their own performance in the control block, the Cantonese listeners showed increased response time, decreased proportion of a…
Why Aren’t All Cantonese Tones Equally Confusing to English Listeners
English listeners often struggle to perceive tones, but some are easier than others. This study examined these phenomena grounded in the feature weighing perspective (FWP) and the Perceptual Assimilation Model for Suprasegmentals (PAM-S). Forty-seven English and Cantonese listeners completed 4,212 trials of Cantonese tone discrimination and sequence recall tasks. The English listeners showed asymmetrical perceptual patterns of discrimination but …
Towards a Native Opera Hypothesis
Musical experience facilitates speech perception. French musicians, to whom stress is foreign, have been found to perceive English stress more accurately than French non-musicians. This study investigated whether this musical advantage also applies to native listeners. English musicians and non-musicians completed an English stress discrimination task and two control tasks. With age, non-verbal intelligence and short-term memory controlled, the m…
Theorizing positive transfer in cross-linguistic speech perception
The Selectivity of Musical Advantage
The OPERA hypothesis theorizes how musical experience heightens perceptual acuity to lexical tones. One missing element in the hypothesis is whether musical advantage is general to all or specific to some lexical tones. To further extend the hypothesis, this study investigated whether English musicians consistently outperformed English nonmusicians in perceiving a variety of Cantonese tones. In an AXB discrimination task, the musicians exhibited …
Towards a Native Opera Hypothesis
Musical experience facilitates speech perception. French musicians, to whom stress is foreign, have been found to perceive English stress more accurately than French non-musicians. This study investigated whether this musical advantage also applies to native listeners. English musicians and non-musicians completed an English stress discrimination task and two control tasks. With age, non-verbal intelligence and short-term memory controlled, the m…
Theorizing positive transfer in cross-linguistic speech perception
Why Aren’t All Cantonese Tones Equally Confusing to English Listeners
English listeners often struggle to perceive tones, but some are easier than others. This study examined these phenomena grounded in the feature weighing perspective (FWP) and the Perceptual Assimilation Model for Suprasegmentals (PAM-S). Forty-seven English and Cantonese listeners completed 4,212 trials of Cantonese tone discrimination and sequence recall tasks. The English listeners showed asymmetrical perceptual patterns of discrimination but …
The Selectivity of Musical Advantage
The OPERA hypothesis theorizes how musical experience heightens perceptual acuity to lexical tones. One missing element in the hypothesis is whether musical advantage is general to all or specific to some lexical tones. To further extend the hypothesis, this study investigated whether English musicians consistently outperformed English nonmusicians in perceiving a variety of Cantonese tones. In an AXB discrimination task, the musicians exhibited …
Towards a Native Opera Hypothesis
Musical experience facilitates speech perception. French musicians, to whom stress is foreign, have been found to perceive English stress more accurately than French non-musicians. This study investigated whether this musical advantage also applies to native listeners. English musicians and non-musicians completed an English stress discrimination task and two control tasks. With age, non-verbal intelligence and short-term memory controlled, the m…
Theorizing positive transfer in cross-linguistic speech perception
Perceptual integrality of foreign segmental and tonal information
This study investigates whether (a) Cantonese and (b) English listeners integrally or independently perceive Thai tone and segmental information. Listeners completed a modified AX discrimination task that contained a control block (without segmental variation) and an orthogonal block (with segmental variation). Relative to their own performance in the control block, the Cantonese listeners showed increased response time, decreased proportion of a…
Why Aren’t All Cantonese Tones Equally Confusing to English Listeners
English listeners often struggle to perceive tones, but some are easier than others. This study examined these phenomena grounded in the feature weighing perspective (FWP) and the Perceptual Assimilation Model for Suprasegmentals (PAM-S). Forty-seven English and Cantonese listeners completed 4,212 trials of Cantonese tone discrimination and sequence recall tasks. The English listeners showed asymmetrical perceptual patterns of discrimination but …
Musical Advantage in Lexical Tone Perception Hinges on Musical Instrument
Different musical instruments have different pitch processing demands. However, correlational studies have seldom considered the role of musical instruments in music-to-language transfer. Addressing this research gap could contribute to a nuanced understanding of music-to-language transfer. To this end, we investigated whether pitched musicians had a unique musical advantage in lexical tone perception relative to unpitched musicians and nonmusici…
Do Cantonese listeners have a non-native advantage in English stress-related lexical decision
Emerging evidence shows that non-native speakers can outperform native speakers in speech perception. This study investigated whether a non-native advantage in speech perception could feed forward to lexical decision. First language Cantonese and English listeners completed an English stress discrimination task, an English lexical decision task, and a non-verbal intelligence task. Perceptually, the Cantonese listeners showed a non-native advantag…
Can you hear me clearly? The differential effects of surgical mask on Cantonese consonant, vowel, and tone perception
This study examined the differential effects of surgical mask on Cantonese consonant, vowel, and tone perception. Forty native Cantonese adults were tested with the Cantonese consonant, vowel, and tone identification tasks. Each task contained four blocks: quiet-no mask, noisy-no mask, quiet-surgical mask, and noisy-surgical mask. Bayesian analyses revealed that the Cantonese listeners identified consonants, vowels, and tones with similar accurac…
Cantonese Tone Perception by Punjabi Speakers of Cantonese
This study tested whether the Perceptual Assimilation Model of Second Language Speech Learning (PAM-L2) predicts second language (L2) Cantonese tone discrimination across different perceptual modes. Punjabi speakers of Cantonese completed the Cantonese tone assimilation and discrimination tasks. In the assimilation task, the Punjabi listeners assimilated the Cantonese tones as two-category (TC), single-category (SC), uncategorized-categorized wit…
Non-Natives Are Not Always Disadvantaged
Aim: This study investigated whether a Cantonese advantage in English lexical stress perception would benefit word learning. Methodology: Twenty Cantonese listeners and 20 English listeners completed four sessions of English word learning, in which the English pseudowords differed in segmental information, lexical stress, or both. Half of the English pseudowords had vowel reduction, while the other half did not. Data and Analysis: The sample size…
Integrating Theoretical Perspectives
In recent decades, there has been considerable evidence suggesting that music training can improve word reading. However, the mechanisms through which music training enhances word reading remain an open question. Although various claims and hypotheses have been proposed, they are scattered across the literature. By reviewing existing research, this narrative review article identifies three possible theoretical accounts: the perceptual account, th…
The roles of tonal L2 proficiency and cognitive demand in early-stage L3/Ln tone imitation
Empirical evidence suggests that the second language (L2) influence on speech learning of third and additional languages (L3/Ln) can be accounted for by the L2 Status Factor Model (L2SF). However, several aspects warrant further consideration to extend the explanatory scope of L2SF, including the roles of L2 proficiency, suprasegmental-level processing, and cognitive demand. To address these gaps, the present study investigates whether and how to…
Perception (11 works) · Linguistics (8 works) · Phonetics and Phonology Research (8 works) · Psychology (8 works) · Neuroscience and Music Perception (7 works) · Computer Science (6 works) · Hearing Loss and Rehabilitation (6 works) · Speech recognition (6 works) · Cognitive psychology (4 works) · Audiology (3 works)