(joint work with Sarah Creel and Michael Obiri-Yeboah)
Recent research suggests that speaking a tone language confers benefits in processing pitch in nonlinguistic contexts such as music. This research largely compares speakers of non-tone European languages (English, French) with speakers of tone languages in East Asia (Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Thai). However, tone languages exist on multiple continents, notably languages indigenous to Africa and the Americas. With one exception (Bradley, 2016), no research has assessed whether these tone languages also confer pitch processing advantages. The current pair of studies examined pitch perception using a melody change detection task in speakers of Akan, a tone language of Ghana, plus speakers from previously-tested populations (non-tone language speakers and East Asian tone language speakers). In both cases, Akan speakers showed no musical pitch processing advantage over non-tone speakers, despite comparable or better in instrument change detection. Results suggest limits on the inference that tone languages automatically confer pitch processing benefits.