Rhythm and syntax in sentence perception

Abstract

Subjects were required to perceive sentences in noise. A set was induced by presenting a series of sentences that had the same syntax and rhythm. On a final test sentence either the rhythm alone or rhythm plus surface structure was changed. Changes in rhythm led to major disruptions in performance, while the effect of syntax alone was not significant. The results point out the fundamental importance of rhythm in speech perception and suggest caution in attributing speech perception effects to syntax without controlling for rhythm.