Tone language and absolute pitch: Prevalence among American and Chinese conservatory students

2004 ◽  
Vol 116 (4) ◽  
pp. 2580-2580 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana Deutsch ◽  
Trevor Henthorn ◽  
Elizabeth Marvin ◽  
HongShuai Xu
Keyword(s):  
Absolute Pitch ◽  
Tone Language ◽  
Conservatory Students

The Origins of Music and of Tonal Languages

2019 ◽  
pp. 220-244
Author(s):  
Robert C. Ehle
Keyword(s):  
Absolute Pitch ◽  
Perinatal Period ◽  
Final Part ◽  
Specific Information ◽  
Tonal Language ◽  
Tone Language ◽  
The Voice ◽  
Musical Emotion ◽  
The Brain ◽  
The Way

This chapter offers the author's theory of the origins of music in ancient primates a million years ago, and what music would have sounded like. Origins of nasal and tone languages and the anatomy of larynx is discussed, and then a hypothesis is presented that these creatures would fashioned a tone language. They had absolute pitch that allowed them to recognize other voices, to read each other's emotions from the sounds they made with their voices, and to convey over long distances specific information about strategies, meeting places, etc. Having an acute sense of pitch, they would have sung, essentially using tonal language for aesthetic and subjective purposes. Thus, they would have invented music. Then the physicality of the human (or hominid) voice is discussed and the way an absolute pitch can be acquired, as the musicality still lies in the vocalisms it expresses. The reason for this is that music is actually contained in the way the brain works, and the ear and the voice are parts of this system. The final part discusses the origins of musical emotion as the case for imprinting in the perinatal period.

Absolute pitch among students in an American music conservatory: Association with tone language fluency

2009 ◽  
Vol 125 (4) ◽  
pp. 2398-2403 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana Deutsch ◽  
Kevin Dooley ◽  
Trevor Henthorn ◽  
Brian Head
Keyword(s):  
Absolute Pitch ◽  
American Music ◽  
Language Fluency ◽  
Tone Language

The Effects of Absolute Pitch and Tone Language on Pitch Processing and Encoding in Musicians

2015 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 344-354 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefanie A. Hutka ◽  
Claude Alain
Keyword(s):  
Research Question ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Absolute Pitch ◽  
Cumulative Advantage ◽  
Pitch Processing ◽  
Tone Language ◽  
Music And Language ◽  
Close Relationship ◽  
The Relationship

Absolute pitch (AP) is the rare ability to identify or produce a specific pitch without a reference pitch, which appears to be more prevalent in tone-language speakers than non-tone-language speakers. Numerous studies support a close relationship between AP, music, and language. Despite this relationship, the extent to which these factors contribute to the processing and encoding of pitch has not yet been investigated. Addressing this research question would provide insights into the relationship between music and language, as well as the mechanisms of AP. To this aim, we recruited AP musicians and non-AP musicians who were either tone-language (Mandarin and Cantonese) or non-tone language speakers. Participants completed a zero- and one-back working memory task using music and non-music (control) stimuli. In general, AP participants had better accuracy and faster reaction times than participants without AP. This effect remained even after controlling for the age at which participants began formal music lessons. We did not observe a performance advantage afforded by speaking a tone language, nor a cumulative advantage afforded by having AP and being a tone-language speaker.

Absolute Pitch, Speech, and Tone Language: Some Experiments and a Proposed Framework

2004 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 339-356 ◽  
Author(s):  
DIANA DEUTSCH ◽  
TREVOR HENTHORN ◽  
MARK DOLSON
Keyword(s):  
Critical Period ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Absolute Pitch ◽  
Speech Development ◽  
Stable Form ◽  
Lexical Tone ◽  
Critical Periods ◽  
Speech Acquisition ◽  
Tone Language ◽  
Long Duration

Absolute pitch is generally considered to reflect a rare musical endowment; however, its characteristics are puzzling and its genesis is unclear. We describe two experiments in which native speakers of tone languages——Mandarin and Vietnamese——were found to display a remarkably precise and stable form of absolute pitch in enunciating words. We further describe a third experiment in which speakers of English displayed less stability on an analogous task. Based on these findings, and considering the related literatures on critical periods in speech development, and the neurological underpinnings of lexical tone, we propose a framework for the genesis of absolute pitch. The framework assumes that absolute pitch originally evolved as a feature of speech, analogous to other features such as vowel quality, and that speakers of tone language naturally acquire this feature during the critical period for speech acquisition. We further propose that the acquisition of absolute pitch by rare individuals who speak an intonation language may be associated with a critical period of unusually long duration, so that it encompasses the age at which the child can take music lessons. We conclude that the potential to acquire absolute pitch is universally present at birth, and that it can be realized by enabling the infant to associate pitches with verbal labels during the critical period for speech acquisition.

Is There an Asian Advantage for Pitch Memory?

2008 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 241-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Glenn Schellenberg ◽  
Sandra E. Trehub
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Cultural Differences ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Absolute Pitch ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Musical Note ◽  
Tone Language ◽  
Cross Cultural Differences ◽  
European Heritage

ABSOLUTE PITCH (AP) IS THE ABILITY TO IDENTIFY OR produce a musical note in isolation. As traditionally defined, AP requires accurate pitch memory as well as knowledge of note names. The incidence of AP is higher in Asia than it is in North America.We used a task with no naming requirements to examine pitch memory among Canadian 9- to 12-year-olds of Asian (Chinese) or non-Asian (European) heritage. On each trial, children heard two versions of a 5-s excerpt from a familiar recording, one of which was shifted upward or downward in pitch. They were asked to identify the excerpt at the original pitch. The groups performed comparably, and knowledge of a tone language did not affect performance. Nonetheless, Asians performed better on a test of academic achievement. These results provide no support for the contribution of genetics or tone-language use to cross-cultural differences in pitch memory.

scholarly journals Combination of absolute pitch and tone language experience enhances lexical tone perception

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Akshay R. Maggu ◽  
Joseph C. Y. Lau ◽  
Mary M. Y. Waye ◽  
Patrick C. M. Wong
Keyword(s):  
Categorical Perception ◽  
Absolute Pitch ◽  
Common Mechanism ◽  
Lexical Tone ◽  
Language Experience ◽  
Tone Language ◽  
Frequency Following Response ◽  
Tone Perception ◽  
Response Measures

AbstractAbsolute pitch (AP), a unique ability to name or produce pitch without any reference, is known to be influenced by genetic and cultural factors. AP and tone language experience are both known to promote lexical tone perception. However, the effects of the combination of AP and tone language experience on lexical tone perception are currently not known. In the current study, using behavioral (Categorical Perception) and electrophysiological (Frequency Following Response) measures, we investigated the effect of the combination of AP and tone language experience on lexical tone perception. We found that the Cantonese speakers with AP outperformed the Cantonese speakers without AP on Categorical Perception and Frequency Following Responses of lexical tones, suggesting an additive effect due to the combination of AP and tone language experience. These findings suggest a role of basic sensory pre-attentive auditory processes towards pitch encoding in AP. Further, these findings imply a common mechanism underlying pitch encoding in AP and tone language perception.

scholarly journals Number 13 / Part I. Music. 7. Grounds of Absolute Pitch Development in Yamaha Music School

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-65
Author(s):  
Dorina Iușcă
Keyword(s):  
Music Education ◽  
Musical Training ◽  
Absolute Pitch ◽  
Music School ◽  
Tone Language ◽  
External Reference ◽  
Educational Implications ◽  
Didactic Strategies ◽  
Early Training ◽  
The Way

Abstract Absolute pitch is defined as the ability to identify the pitch class of a certain given sound without the aid of an external reference pitch (Takeuchi & Hulse, 1993; Deutsch, 2002). The incidence of absolute pitch is extremely rare among the general population, respectively 1 in 10.000 people and it depends on testing conditions such as the number of identified sounds, pitch Chroma, pitch height, timbre, register or requested reaction time, and also on subjects musical training commencing and Eastern-Asian origins. The way absolute pitch develops is described by three models: the tone language theory, the early training theory and the genetic theory. The early training theory states that absolute pitch appears due to the beginning of musical lessons during a critical development period situated before the age of 6. The educational implications of this theory are revealed in the principles and activities of Yamaha Music School which employs didactic strategies that naturally develop absolute pitch. Yamaha Music School is the largest private music education system from Japan, established by Torakusu Yamaha in 1954. Up to this day it has extended in 40 countries from Europe, Asia and the American continents, as it has about 710 million students and 30.000 teachers. The present study aims to illustrate a detailed analysis of the way the learning experiences offered by Yamaha School lead to the development of absolute pitch.

Absolute pitch among students in an American music conservatory: Association with tone language fluency.

2009 ◽  
Vol 125 (4) ◽  
pp. 2683-2683
Author(s):  
Diana Deutsch ◽  
Kevin Dooley ◽  
Trevor Henthorn ◽  
Brian Head
Keyword(s):  
Absolute Pitch ◽  
American Music ◽  
Language Fluency ◽  
Tone Language

The Origin of Music

2018 ◽  
pp. 36-50
Author(s):  
Robert C. Ehle
Keyword(s):  
Absolute Pitch ◽  
Specific Information ◽  
Tonal Language ◽  
Tone Language ◽  
Tone Languages ◽  
The Voice ◽  
The Brain ◽  
The Way

This chapter offers the author's theory of the origins of music in ancient primates a million years ago, and how would music have sounded like. Origins of nasal and tone languages and the anatomy of larynx is discussed, and then a hypothesis is presented that these creatures would fashioned a tone language, they had absolute pitch that allowed them to recognize each other voices and to read each other's emotions from the sounds they made with their voices, and to convey specific information about strategies, meeting places, etc. over these distances. Having an acute sense of pitch, they would have sung, essentially using tonal language for aesthetic and subjective purposes. Thus, they would have invented music. Then the physicality of the human (or hominid) voice is discussed and the way an absolute pitch can be acquired, as the musicality still lies in the vocalisms it expresses. The reason for this is that music is actually contained in the way the brain works, and the ear and the voice are parts of this system.

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