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Language-specific phoneme representations revealed by electric and magnetic brain responses

Author

Listed:
  • Risto Näätänen

    (University of Helsinki)

  • Anne Lehtokoski

    (University of Helsinki)

  • Mietta Lennes

    (University of Helsinki)

  • Marie Cheour

    (University of Helsinki)

  • Minna Huotilainen

    (University of Helsinki
    Helsinki University Central Hospital)

  • Antti Iivonen

    (University of Helsinki)

  • Martti Vainio

    (University of Helsinki)

  • Paavo Alku

    (University of Turku
    Helsinki University of Technology)

  • Risto J. Ilmoniemi

    (Helsinki University Central Hospital)

  • Aavo Luuk

    (University of Tartu)

  • Jüri Allik

    (University of Tartu)

  • Janne Sinkkonen

    (University of Helsinki
    Helsinki University Central Hospital)

  • Kimmo Alho

    (University of Helsinki)

Abstract

There is considerable debate about whether the early processing of sounds depends on whether they form part of speech. Proponents of such speech specificity postulate the existence of language-dependent memory traces, which are activated in the processing of speech1–3 but not when equally complex, acoustic non-speech stimuli are processed. Here we report the existence of these traces in the human brain. We presented to Finnish subjects the Finnish phoneme prototype /e/ as the frequent stimulus, and other Finnish phoneme prototypes or a non-prototype (the Estonian prototype /õ/) as the infrequent stimulus. We found that the brain's automatic change-detection response, reflected electrically as the mismatch negativity (MMN)4–10, was enhanced when the infrequent, deviant stimulus was a prototype (the Finnish /ö/) relative to when it was a non-prototype (the Estonian /õ/). These phonemic traces, revealed by MMN, are language-specific, as /õ/ caused enhancement of MMN in Estonians. Whole-head magnetic recordings11,12 located the source of this native-language, phoneme-related response enhancement, and thus the language-specific memory traces, in the auditory cortex of the left hemisphere.

Suggested Citation

  • Risto Näätänen & Anne Lehtokoski & Mietta Lennes & Marie Cheour & Minna Huotilainen & Antti Iivonen & Martti Vainio & Paavo Alku & Risto J. Ilmoniemi & Aavo Luuk & Jüri Allik & Janne Sinkkonen & Kimmo, 1997. "Language-specific phoneme representations revealed by electric and magnetic brain responses," Nature, Nature, vol. 385(6615), pages 432-434, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:385:y:1997:i:6615:d:10.1038_385432a0
    DOI: 10.1038/385432a0
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    Cited by:

    1. Federico Gallo & Beatriz Bermudez-Margaretto & Yury Shtyrov & Jubin Abutalebi & Hamutal Kreiner & Tamara Chitaya & Anna Petrova & Andriy Myachykov, 2019. "First Language Attrition: What It Is, What It Isn’t, And What It Can Be," HSE Working papers WP BRP 113/PSY/2019, National Research University Higher School of Economics.

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