Neural bases of accented speech perception

Abstract

The recognition of unfamiliar regional and foreign accents represents a challenging task for the speech perception system (Floccia et al., 2006; Adank et al., 2009). Despite the frequency with which we encounter such accents, the neural mechanisms supporting successful perception of accented speech are poorly understood. Nonetheless, candidate neural substrates involved in processing speech in challenging listening conditions, including accented speech, are beginning to be identified. This review will outline neural bases associated with perception of accented speech in the light of current models of speech perception, and compare these data to brain areas associated with processing other speech distortions. We will subsequently evaluate competing models of speech processing with regards to neural processing of accented speech. See Cristia et al. (2012) for an in-depth overview of behavioral aspects of accent processing.

Keywords: accented speech; cognitive neuroscience; fMRI; noise-vocoded speech; speech in noise; speech perception; time-compressed speech.

Figure 1

Clusters (logical) resulting from an Activation Likelihood Estimation (ALE) analysis conducted using GingerALE 2.3.3 (www.brainmap.org), q < 0.0001, cluster extent of 100 mm³, for the four accent studies (red), and the seven other distortions studies (pooled noise, time-compressed, and noise-vocoded studies) (green).