This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: People who are better at noticing fine details in sound—an ability known as auditory precision—can master the pronunciation of new languages faster and more accurately than other learners, a new study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology finds. Even when hearing a human voice, some people's brains do not immediately treat new sounds as "language"; instead, they understand them as unfamiliar acoustic signals.
This ability may be one of the keys to successfully mastering the pronunciation of a new language. Researchers from UCL and Tohoku University measured the auditory precision of 67 Japanese learners of English by assessing their ability to detect slight acoustic differences, such as changes in pitch, length and tone, in nonspeech sounds. They then used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technology to measure the participants' brain activity as they tried to distinguish between the English vowels /æ/ (like the "a" in "cat") and /ʌ/ (like the "uh" in "cup").
Neither of these sounds maps directly onto Japanese vowels. In a second task, the participants detected similar subtle differences in nonspeech sounds. The results showed that learners with higher auditory precision relied less on the brain's left sensorimotor system (involved in language processing) when processing foreign-language sounds.
Their brain activity patterns were similar to those that occur when the brain processes nonspeech sounds. With less interference from preexisting patterns of their native language, it was easier for these learners to accurately process new sounds. In contrast, the fMRI results showed learners with lower auditory precision relied more on the brain's left sensorimotor network when listening to foreign-language sounds.
They used the pronunciation patterns of their native language when processing unfamiliar foreign-language sounds. Kazuya Saito-van Poeteren (UCL Institute of Education) said, "Learners with a 'good ear' for auditory differences can hear a new foreign-language sound objectively, without immediately processing it as 'language.' Instead, their brains analyze the acoustic information itself, and this may be the key to why some people grasp new languages with more ease than others. "Most people approach foreign-language learning by memorizing vocabulary and listening to speech, but our study indicated that language learners might also benefit from training the auditory abilities that underpin language learning itself.
"Foreign-language education should move beyond an approach based on 'more practice' and toward one that develops learners' ear for language learning in line with their auditory characteristics." The research team aims to develop a new form of combined language and auditory training designed to improve the ability to detect fine differences in pitch and other acoustic properties. Individual Differences in Motor and Auditory Activation in L2 Speech Learning: Roles of Domain-General Auditory Processing, Journal of Experimental Psychology (2026). DOI: 10.1037/xge0001991 Journal information: Journal of Experimental Psychology Swati Mestri holds a bachelor's degree in Electronics Engineering and has worked as a content editor since 2019.
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