Abstract
Speakers are faster and more accurate at processing certain sound sequences within their language. Does this reflect the fact that these sequences are frequent or that they are phonetically less complex (e.g., easier to articulate)? It has been difficult to contrast these two factors given their high correlation in natural languages. In this study, participants were exposed to novel phonotactic constraints de-correlating complexity and frequency by subjecting the same phonological structure to varying degrees of probabilistic constraint. Participants' behavior was sensitive to variations in frequency, demonstrating that phonotactic probability influences speech production independent of phonetic complexity.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1155-1164 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Cognition |
| Volume | 107 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jun 2008 |
Keywords
- Markedness
- Probabilistic phonotactics
- Speech errors
- Speech production
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
- Language and Linguistics
- Developmental and Educational Psychology
- Linguistics and Language
- Cognitive Neuroscience