The role of pitch accent in lexical recognition in Japanese

Evidence from event-related potential and gamma-band activity

Bibliographic Data

ID9744173
AuthorsTaiga Naoe (Tohoku University , Sendai , Japan), Shingo Tokimoto (0000-0003-3057-8842, Mejiro University , Tokyo , Japan), Qiong Ma (0000-0002-5103-6973, Nanjing Tech University , Nanjing , China), Min Wang (0000-0001-8567-8125, Tohoku University , Sendai , Japan), Masatoshi Koizumi (0000-0003-0719-7128, Tohoku University , Sendai , Japan), Sachiko Kiyama (0000-0001-6942-5937, Tohoku University , Sendai , Japan)
Year2025
Volume41
Issue1
Pages137-158
Publication date2025-05-26
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Japanese Linguistics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0197-3150 • E-ISSN: 2512-1413
PublisherWalter de Gruyter GmbH (PUBLISHER • DE)
DOI10.1515/jjl-2025-2008
OpenAlexW4410061416
LanguageEN
References cited32

This study examined (i) the stage at which pitch accents contribute to lexical processing in native Japanese speakers and (ii) the interpretation pathway for the meaning of words pronounced with incorrect pitch accents. Event-related potential analyses during spoken word processing showed that words with incorrect accents elicited greater N400 amplitudes than those with correct accents, indicating that accent information aids in selecting suitable candidates from activated lexicons rather than in lexical activation itself. We employed a cross-modal semantic priming paradigm for the second aim, which involved exposure to a spoken word (prime) followed by a picture (target). Analyses of event-related spectral perturbations showed that the facilitation of semantic processing of the picture, indicated by low-gamma activity, occurred only after correctly accented words and not after incorrectly accented words. These findings suggest that incorrect Japanese pitch accents inhibit full access to their semantic contents when the words are spoken without appropriate contexts

Astrophysics · Linguistics · Physics · Pitch accent · Prosody · Speech recognition · Communication · Computer Science · Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism · Philosophy · Phonetics and Phonology Research · Psychology · Reading and Literacy Development

Tools

Open DOI