Accented speech modulates multiple event-related potential components across multiple levels of language processing.

ABSTRACT: Accents are ubiquitous in spoken communication, and while listeners can rapidly adapt to accented speech, the neural mechanisms supporting this flexibility remain poorly understood. Successful adaptation requires developing new sound representations without compromising the stability of long-term speech norms. This delicate balance between plasticity and stability illustrates a fundamental challenge faced by all cognitive systems. To investigate how the brain manages this trade-off, we recorded electroencephalographic activity from 23 native English speakers as they categorized words produced in either canonical American English or an unfamiliar accent. We contrasted two potential mechanisms: one in which listeners fully restructure their sound-to-category mappings to reflect accent-specif

SUBMITTER: Llanos F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12722251 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature