TY - JOUR
T1 - The Contribution of Consonants and Vowels to Auditory Word Recognition Is Shaped by Language-Specific Properties
T2 - Evidence From Hebrew
AU - Lador-Weizman, Yaara
AU - Deutsch, Avital
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022. American Psychological Association
PY - 2022/5
Y1 - 2022/5
N2 - This study explored the role of consonants and vowels in auditory word perception in Hebrew, using an auditory-auditory priming procedure. A common finding is the greater importance for consonants than vowels in spoken word processing, henceforth the C-bias. What underlies the C-bias is a controversial issue between the "acquired functional hypothesis" and the "initial-bias hypothesis." The former predicts a different pattern of asymmetry among languages, while the latter claims that the C-bias exists in all languages. Hebrew is interesting because it allows the exploration of whether language-specific
morphological properties can modulate consonant/vowel asymmetry. This opportunity stems from its unique complex Semitic morphological structure that was found to have a central role in lexical access. To evaluate the consonant/vowel asymmetry in Hebrew in relation to previously studied languages, recognition of morphologically complex Hebrew words was compared with recognition of foreign Hebrew words that do not have the typical Hebrew morphological complex structure, hereafter simple words. The results showed a significantly stronger C-bias for morphologically complex words than for simple words. We suggest that this within-variation supports the acquired functional hypothesis, so that even within one language different patterns of consonant/vowel asymmetry are revealed depending on the internal morphological structure of the word. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).
AB - This study explored the role of consonants and vowels in auditory word perception in Hebrew, using an auditory-auditory priming procedure. A common finding is the greater importance for consonants than vowels in spoken word processing, henceforth the C-bias. What underlies the C-bias is a controversial issue between the "acquired functional hypothesis" and the "initial-bias hypothesis." The former predicts a different pattern of asymmetry among languages, while the latter claims that the C-bias exists in all languages. Hebrew is interesting because it allows the exploration of whether language-specific
morphological properties can modulate consonant/vowel asymmetry. This opportunity stems from its unique complex Semitic morphological structure that was found to have a central role in lexical access. To evaluate the consonant/vowel asymmetry in Hebrew in relation to previously studied languages, recognition of morphologically complex Hebrew words was compared with recognition of foreign Hebrew words that do not have the typical Hebrew morphological complex structure, hereafter simple words. The results showed a significantly stronger C-bias for morphologically complex words than for simple words. We suggest that this within-variation supports the acquired functional hypothesis, so that even within one language different patterns of consonant/vowel asymmetry are revealed depending on the internal morphological structure of the word. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).
KW - Auditory word perception
KW - Auditory-auditory priming
KW - C-bias in hebrew
KW - Consonants and vowels in speech perception
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85129779457&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1037/xhp0001000
DO - 10.1037/xhp0001000
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C2 - 35377703
AN - SCOPUS:85129779457
SN - 0096-1523
VL - 48
SP - 401
EP - 426
JO - Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance
JF - Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance
IS - 5
ER -