# Language Experience Shapes Neural Grouping of Speech by Accent: EEG Evidence from Native, Second-Language, and Heritage Listeners

## TL;DR

This study shows how different language experiences influence how the brain automatically groups speech by accent, using EEG measurements from native, second-language, and heritage listeners.

## Contribution

The study provides novel EEG evidence that accent categorization is modulated by language background and proficiency.

## Key findings

- Native and L1-Mandarin listeners showed MMNs to Canadian-accented English, indicating accent-based grouping.
- Heritage Mandarin listeners exhibited broader phonological space encoding both Canadian English and Mandarin-accented English.
- Neural responses varied with language background, showing stronger α/β power in native English listeners for Mandarin-accented speech.

## Abstract

Background: Accented speech contains talker-indexical cues that listeners can use to infer social group membership, yet it remains unclear how the auditory system categorizes accent variability and how this process depends on language experience. Methods: The current study used EEG and the MMN oddball paradigm to test pre-attentive neural sensitivity to accent changes of English words stopped produced by Canadian English or Mandarin Chinese-accented English talkers. Three participant groups were tested: Native English listeners, L1-Mandarin listeners, and Heritage Mandarin listeners. Results: In the Native English and L1-Mandarin groups, we observed MMNs to the Canadian accented English deviant, indicating that the brain can group speech by accent despite substantive inter-talker variation and that this grouping is consistent with an experience-dependent sensitivity to accent. Exposure to Mandarin Chinese-accented English modulated MMN magnitude. Time-frequency analyses suggested that α and low-β power during accent encoding varied with language background, with Native English listeners showing stronger activity when presented with Mandarin Chinese-accented English. Finally, the neurophysiological response in the Heritage Mandarin group reflected a broader phonological space encompassing both Canadian English and Mandarin-accented English, and its magnitude was predicted by Chinese proficiency. Conclusions: These findings provide brain-based evidence that automatic accent categorization is not uniform across listeners but interacts with native phonology and second-language experience.