Developing new pre-lexical processing skills in adults

Abstract

Studies of adults learning to decode words may provide a window on understanding of the pre-lexical processing of words as learning progresses. Second language (L2) learners (for example) have been found to assimilate new phones to first language (L1) phonemes when asked for the closest sound in their languages (e.g., Schmidt, 1996). Ratings of fit with L1 phonemes was related to details of acoustics of stimuli, L1 acoustics, and vowel context suggesting that L1 phonetic details rather than phoneme categories were compared. What happens after attention has been focused on acoustic/articulatory characteristics of these new sounds (as in training studies) and learning progresses? Do adults establish new phoneme categories to aid in word processing or is it more likely that native categories are expanded based upon developing within L1 category perceptual skills and orthographic word prediction skills. Evidence will be reviewed indicating that learned production of L2 sounds can be become native-like but L2 perception outcomes remain non-native like suggesting that new phoneme categories are not formed. Thus, new learned words can be accurately produced but success in pre-lexical processing of new heard words will depend upon linguistic factors such as context.