Changes in pitch height elicit both language-universal and language-dependent changes in neural representation of pitch in the brainstem and auditory cortex.

•Cortical pitch-specific response (CPR) components (Na–Pb) index specific features of dynamic pitch (pitch height)•Language-dependent weighting is sensitive to specific attributes of pitch within a given temporal integration window.•CPR amplitude increases with increasing pitch height; brainstem F0 magnitude decreases.•Similar pattern of changes from brainstem to cortex point to shared neural mechanisms regardless of language experience.•Differences between CPR and F0 magnitude imply distinct neural mechanisms for pitch extraction along auditory pathway.