Laméris, Tim JorisLlompart, MiquelPost, Brechtje2025-05-062025-05-062023Laméris TJ, Llompart M, Post B. Non-native tone categorization and word learning across a spectrum of L1 tonal statuses. Biling (Camb Engl). 2024 Aug;27(4):729-43. DOI: 10.1017/s13667289230008711366-7289http://hdl.handle.net/10230/70297Adults differ in the ease with which they acquire lexical tones in a non-native language. Individual differences have been attributed to several factors, such as the role that pitch plays in a learner's L1 to signal lexical meaning (L1 tonal status), the shape of the tones to be acquired (tone types), as well as extralinguistic factors (such as musical experience and working memory). Here, we ask whether learners from a spectrum of L1 tonal statuses (Dutch, Swedish and Japanese, and Thai) differ in their tone word learning facility, whilst we simultaneously investigate the effects of tone type, and musical experience and working memory. Our findings suggest that above and beyond L1 tonal status, the strongest predictor of tone word learning was pre-lexical tone processing (measured by a tone categorization task), although the strength of the link between pre-lexical and lexical processing may be modulated by L1 tonal status.application/pdfengCopyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press. This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution and reproduction, provided the original article is properly cited.info:eu-repo/semantics/articlehttp://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1366728923000871Individual variabilityLexical toneWord learningWorking memoryMusical experienceinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess