Music and Language: Exploring the Acoustic Dimension of ESL Silent Reading Comprehension Through Music Perception, Phonological Awareness, and Auditory Working Memory

ABSTRACT Much research has explored the intersection of music and language but has mostly focused on first language (L1) acquisition in early childhood. The few studies on second language (L2) learning and music have mainly concentrated on listening and speaking skills. Therefore, this study aims to address this gap by investigating how music perception relates to L2 reading comprehension regarding the acoustic dimension. This study involves Chinese adult undergraduates who learn English as a second language (ESL). In a supervised classroom, 139 participants completed the background information questionnaire, music perception test, phonological awareness test, and auditory working memory test on electronic devices. They took the English reading comprehension test with pen and paper. They were divided into three groups based on their past and present involvement in musical activities: no training, basic training, and advanced training. Quantitative data were analyzed using a correlation matrix, MANOVA, and partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS‐SEM). Participants with basic and advanced musical training outperformed their untrained counterparts in phonological awareness. Specifically, musical training enhanced their ability to segment sounds in words and blend word parts. The auditory‐based PLS model revealed that phonological awareness directly predicted L2 reading comprehension, and that music perception affected reading comprehension directly and indirectly through auditory working memory. This study offers valuable evidence to support further investigation into the effectiveness of music‐related interventions for L2 reading.