Syllabic processing in handwritten word production in German children and adults

Abstract

Syllables are thought to be processing units in handwritten word production. Yet, little is known about whether the orthographic characteristics of different languages influence syllabic processing during handwriting, which is critical for the evaluation and further development of extant models of handwritten language production. In the present study, we manipulated syllabic ambiguity, a characteristic of the German language, to investigate the role of syllables in handwritten word production in German. Forty-four 10 to 12-year-old children and fourteen adults were asked to write on pen tablets five-letter disyllabic words that varied in terms of their syllabic ambiguity, while their handwriting was recorded with high spatiotemporal resolution. Productions were analyzed in terms of Mean Stroke Duration (MSD) and Writing Onset Duration (WOD). Increased MSD at syllable boundaries was observed across conditions for both children and adults. There was no difference in WOD across conditions. Our findings offer support for the idea that syllables are functional units in handwriting production in German and motivate the further development of the spelling module in models of handwritten language production.