The role of language experience in word segmentation: A comparison of English, French, and bilingual infants

Abstract

English-learning and French-learning 7.5-month-old infants were tested using the headturn preference procedure on their ability to segment bisyllabic words in both English and French. In the English condition infants were familiarized with trochaic bisyllables, the predominant stress pattern found in English, and then presented English passages with and without the familiarized words. In the French condition, infants were familiarized with iambic bisyllables, the characteristic word stress pattern found in French, and were then presented French passages with and without the familiarized words. Findings indicate that by 7.5 months of age, infants’ learning either a syllable-timed (French) or a stressed-timed language (English) can segment bisyllabic words with the predominant stress pattern of their native language. However, French infants fail to segment English trochaic words from English passages; data on English infants’ segmentation in the French condition are forthcoming. If both groups fail to segment in a rhythmically different non-native language, it will confirm that word segmentation abilities of 7.5-month-old infants are influenced by the prosodic structure of the native language. Preliminary results obtained from infants who are regularly exposed to both languages will also be reported.