Adults often encounter difficulty perceiving and processing sounds of a second language (L2). In order to acquire word-meaning mappings, learners need to determine what the language-relevant phonological contrasts are in the language. In this study, we examined the influence of phonology on non-native word learning, determining whether the language-relevant phonological contrasts could be acquired by abstracting over multiple experiences, and whether awareness of these contrasts could be related to learning. We trained English- and Mandarin-native speakers with pseudowords via a cross-situational statistical learning task (CSL). Learners were able to acquire the phonological contrasts across multiple situations, but similar-sounding words (i.e., minimal pairs) were harder to acquire, and words that contrast in a non-native suprasegmental feature (i.e., Mandarin lexical tone) were even harder for English-speakers, even with extended exposure. Furthermore, awareness of the non-native phonology was not found to relate to learning.

中文翻译：

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音韵学在非母语单词学习中的作用：来自跨情境统计学习的证据

成年人在感知和处理第二语言（L2）的声音时经常遇到困难。为了获得词义映射，学习者需要确定语言中与语言相关的语音对比。在这项研究中，我们研究了音韵学对非母语单词学习的影响，确定是否可以通过抽象多种经验来获得与语言相关的音韵对比，以及对这些对比的认识是否与学习有关。我们通过跨情境统计学习任务 (CSL) 用伪词训练英语和普通话母语人士。学习者能够在多种情况下获得语音对比，但发音相似的单词（即最小对）更难获得，而与非母语超音段特征形成对比的单词（即普通话声调）则更难获得。讲英语的人，即使接触时间较长。此外，对非母语音韵的认识与学习无关。