Nonwords Research Articles

Impact of Diglossia on Word and Non-word Repetition among Language Impaired and Typically Developing Arabic Native Speaking Children.

The study tested the impact of the phonological and lexical distance between a dialect of Palestinian Arabic spoken in the north of Israel (SpA) and Modern Standard Arabic (StA or MSA) on word and non-word repetition in children with specific language impairment (SLI) and in typically developing (TD) age-matched controls. Fifty kindergarten children (25 SLI, 25 TD; mean age 5;5) and fifty first grade children (25 SLI, 25 TD; mean age 6:11) were tested with a repetition task for 1–4 syllable long real words and pseudo words; Items varied systematically in whether each encoded a novel StA phoneme or not, namely a phoneme that is only used in StA but not in the spoken dialect targeted. Real words also varied in whether they were lexically novel, meaning whether the word is used only in StA, but not in SpA. SLI children were found to significantly underperform TD children on all repetition tasks indicating a general phonological memory deficit. More interesting for the current investigation is the observed strong and consistent effect of phonological novelty on word and non-word repetition in SLI and TD children, with a stronger effect observed in SLI. In contrast with phonological novelty, the effect of lexical novelty on word repetition was limited and it did not interact with group. The results are argued to reflect the role of linguistic distance in phonological memory for novel linguistic units in Arabic SLI and, hence, to support a specific Linguistic Distance Hypothesis of SLI in a diglossic setting. The implications of the findings for assessment, diagnosis and intervention with Arabic speaking children with SLI are discussed.

A case for agreement

Abstract Previous research on Russian nominal inflection reports a processing advantage for the Nominative case, the citation form, in native and highly proficient nonnative speakers (Gor, Chrabaszcz, & Cook, 2017). However, it remains unclear whether this advantage is present only in single-word presentation, or it is a fundamental property of lexical storage and access. Moreover, it is unknown whether the processing costs for different cases in native and nonnative word recognition reflect the hierarchical structure of the nominal paradigm where cases have different functional load and type frequency. We report two lexical decision experiments with cross-modal morphosyntactic priming, which compare the processing of case-inflected noun targets preceded by adjective primes with ambiguous oblique-case inflections by native speakers, early (heritage) and late learners of Russian. While all groups showed a processing advantage for the citation form, only native speakers and highly proficient late learners were sensitive to the oblique-case type frequency hierarchy.

Articulatory characteristics of preboundary lengthening in interaction with prominence on tri-syllabic words in American English.

This study investigated articulation of preboundary lengthening (PBL) in tri-syllabic pseudo words (bábaba, babába, bababá) in American English. Results from 10 speakers showed that PBL was modulated by the degree of prominence, i.e., the less prominent, the more PBL. PBL was attracted to the penultimate stressed syllable but only when the word received no pitch accent whereas the antepenultimate syllable showed no PBL. Kinematically, PBL was accompanied by a larger movement along with an increase in peak velocity, showing a kind of boundary-related articulatory strengthening, although there was some evidence of temporal expansion possibly due to lowered stiffness.

Nonword Production Performance According to Vocal Rehearsal Condition in Children with Language Delay

배경 및 목적: 음운 정보에 대한 능동적인 시연은 음운 단기기억 능력을 촉진하며 어휘 학습에도 긍정적인 영향을 미친다. 그러므로 본 연구는 시연 여부와 횟수의 조절이 용이한 외현적 시연을 조건화하여 음운 정보 산출 능력을 살펴보고 언어발달지연 아동의 음운 단기기억 능력을 향상시킬 수 있는 방안을 모색하고자 하였다. 이를 통해 언어발달지연 아동의 음운...

Erratum to: Sink positive: Linguistic experience with th substitutions influences nonnative word recognition.

Erratum to: Sink positive: Linguistic experience with th substitutions influences nonnative word recognition.

Tracking the early stages of child and adult comprehension of L2 morphosyntax: A pilot study

A number of studies in SLA and developmental psychology have shown that both children and adults can acquire nonnative word orders after a relatively short amount of exposure to a miniature language with natural-syntax characteristics in implicit instruction conditions. Although there is some evidence that in these conditions adult L2 learning can extend to morphemes (e.g., gender, case), little attention has been given to child-learning of morphology to date. In this pilot study six nine-year-olds and eight adults (all L1 English monolinguals) were exposed over three consecutive days to auditory sentence stimuli in BrocantoJ, a miniature language mirroring the word order and morphology of Japanese, in the context of a computer game similar to chess. Accuracy in performing a game move after hearing a sentence stimulus that described it, and accuracy in a forced-choice task, were used as measures of overall language comprehension and comprehension of the relationship between an argument’s syntactic realization and its thematic function (linking). The data showed that both groups performed significantly above chance overall and on linking rules. However, adults performed significantly better than children in the first two sessions (p < 0.01), though the gap disappeared by the third day. Also, initial evidence showed that, at least for a subset of the sentence stimuli, both children and adults were successfully relying exclusively on case marking to interpret NP thematic functions.

Developing Nonword Spelling Assessment for Elementary Students

배경 및 목적: 본 연구는 초기 철자발달인 음운적 발달에 대한 아동의 철자능력을 정확하게 측정하고, 철자 문제를 진단할 수 있는 무의미단어 철자 검사도구를(KDSA-NW) 개발하는 데 목적이 있다. 방법: 문헌분석을 통해 선정된 음운적 7개의 철자유형을 포함한 단어들로 예비문항을 개발한 후 세 차례 예비검사를 실시하여 검사문항을 선별하였다. KDSA-NW가...

The Effect of Task-Related Involvement Load and Cross-Modality on Vocabulary Learning

Involvement load hypothesis has attracted the wide attention from researchers in the past decade; yet it still remains controversial due to inconsistent results from previous studies. The present study reports the findings of an experimental study investigating the effects of task-related involvement load and cross-modality (reading while listening) on vocabulary learning. 74 Thai first-year university students were recruited into the study. They were assigned into four groups with vocabulary learning tasks of ascending involvement load indices (2, 3, 4, and 4). The learning target words were 10 pseudo words which were glossed with other 10 distractive words at the back of the reading passages in each task. Cross-modality were integrated into one group task (group 4) so as to be compared with the other group (group 3) with the involvement load controlled. And the adapted Vocabulary Knowledge Scale was used as the test to evaluate these students’ performance on vocabulary. Then the perceptions on these tasks by the students was induced through the post-interview. The findings reveal that the increase of involvement load does lead to the higher achievement of vocabulary whereas the similar involvement load tasks may have little difference in vocabulary learning. And cross-modality was found to exert little effects on these learners’ vocabulary learning, while learners showed positive attitudes to the effects of the tasks and cross-modality.

Transferencia negativa del español al inglés en las vocales /ʌ/ y /æ/

The aim of this non-experimental descriptive study is to establish if linguistic negative transfer caused by the aural perception of Spanish vowel phonemes is responsible for spelling mistakes found in 5th graders’ written texts from a Spanish-English bilingual school in Concepcion, Chile. The subjects of this study participated in an aural perception test in which they had to represent the English vowels /ʌ/ and /ae/ —these vowels were presented in twelve pseudo words. The results are consistent with the literature on the subject of phonetic- phonological negative transfer, suggesting the influence of Spanish phonics on the auditory vowel perception in English, both for pseudo words within a semantic context and in isolation.

EXPOSURE FREQUENCY IN L2 READING

AbstractThe present study brings together methods of extensive reading studies and eye-movement research to track the cognitive effects of exposure frequency on vocabulary processing and learning. Forty-two advanced second language learners of English read a stage 1 graded reader, Goodbye Mr. Hollywood, on a computer screen while their eye movements were recorded. The eye-tracking task was followed by comprehension questions and vocabulary posttests. Target vocabulary consisted of 20 pseudo words and 20 known words with a range of repetition from 1 to 30. Eye-movement data showed that readers spent more time on pseudo words than on familiar words and that fixation times decreased across encounters with more attention given to target words on early encounters. Repeated exposure supported form recognition but was not as significant for meaning recall and recognition. Total times spent on each encounter was positively associated with learning success in all vocabulary measures. The amount of attention, as reflected in total reading times on each pseudo word, positively predicted learning outcomes above and beyond the number of encounters. Results of the study add a cognitive dimension to the concept of engagement in lexical learning in the process of incidental learning from second language reading.

Non-native word recognition in babble and white noise

Noise causes degradation in speech signals, which poses difficulties for non-native perception. In this study, we examined impacts of noisy conditions on word recognition in naturally produced sentences by Chinese speakers of English (CE) and native speakers of English (NE). We also manipulated the linguistic contexts where targeted words occur, in order to assess how syntactic and semantic information may contribute to facilitate speech perception in adverse conditions. We recorded and compared the mean accuracy of keyword rewriting, to examine effects of noise and linguistic cues across listener groups. Results show that babble noise had more severe influence on CE groups' performance, which was also found commensurate with their English proficiencies. NE listeners, however, showed different patterns in their tolerance of noise and in use of linguistic cues.

Combined clinician-parent delivery of rapid syllable transition (ReST) treatment for childhood apraxia of speech

Purpose: Although speech-language pathologists use parent-delivered home-practice, little is known about the quality of this practice and its relation to treatment efficacy. This study reports both treatment outcomes and fidelity following combined clinician-parent delivery of Rapid Syllable Transition (ReST) treatment.Method: Five children aged 5:1–11:7 with childhood apraxia of speech received 12 treatment sessions; six clinic-based and six at home, using multiple baselines across participants design. We investigated the children’s acquisition of treated pseudo words, generalisation to untreated pseudo and real words, and maintenance of gains. We also assessed parent and clinician treatment fidelity and reliability of perceptual judgements.Result: Two children improved on all treated behaviours; two showed treatment effect on one of their two treated behaviours, and one child had no treatment effect. Only two children generalised to the majority of untreated items. Variable treatment fidelity was found across parents and aspects of treatment. Child outcome was likely influenced by multiple factors, including treatment fidelity, reliability of perceptual judgements and child factors.Conclusion: Combined clinician-parent delivery of ReST was less efficacious than previously reported clinician-only delivered ReST. Further investigation of the factors affecting outcome is recommended prior to clinical application of the combined model of service delivery.

Relations between awareness of morphosyntactic structures in Chinese compound words and reading abilities: A short report

ABSTRACTThis is a short report of the investigation of the relationship between awareness of morphosyntactic structures in Chinese compound words and reading abilities on 268 fourth graders studying in three mainstream schools in Shenzhen. All children were assessed using reading and cognitive tasks including rapid automatized naming, phonological, orthographic and morphological awareness. A compound production task using pseudo compound words with different morphosyntactic structures in the first and second levels as stimuli was also conducted. Results of ANOVA indicated that main effect of first level morphosyntactic structures, main effect of second level morphosyntactic structures and interaction effects between the two were significant. Children’s awareness of different morphosyntactic structures were affected by frequency of usage of individual morphosyntactic structures in the language. Results of hierarchical regression analyses revealed that the awareness of morphosyntactic structures in Chinese compound words is strongly associated with Chinese reading abilities. Theoretical and clinical implications were discussed.

Decoding the phonics screening check

The statutory ‘phonics screening check’ was introduced in 2012 and reflects the current emphasis in England on teaching early reading through systematic synthetic phonics. The check is intended to assess children's phonic abilities and their knowledge of 85 grapheme–phoneme correspondences (GPCs) through decoding 20 real words and 20 pseudo words. Since the national rollout, little attention has been devoted to the content of the checks. The current paper, therefore, reviews the first three years of the check between 2012 and 2014 to examine how the 85 specified GPCs have been assessed and whether children are only using decoding skills to read the words. The analysis found that out of the 85 GPCs considered testable by the check, just 15 GPCs accounted for 67% of all GPC occurrences, with 27 of the 85 specified GPCs (31.8%) not appearing at all. Where a grapheme represented more than one phoneme, the most frequently occurring pronunciation was assessed in 72.2% of cases, with vocabulary knowledge being required to determine the correct pronunciation within real words where multiple pronunciations were possible. The GPCs assessed, therefore, do not reflect the full range of GPCs that it is expected will be taught within a systematic synthetic phonics approach. Furthermore, children's ability to decode real words is dependent on their vocabulary knowledge, not just their phonic skills. These results question the purpose and validity of the phonics screening check and the role of synthetic phonics for teaching early reading.

Desempenho do processamento fonológico, leitura e escrita em escolares com transtorno de déficit de atenção e hiperatividade

RESUMO Objetivo: comparar o desempenho do processamento fonológico, da leitura e escrita de palavras reais e inventadas entre os escolares com transtorno de déficit de atenção e hiperatividade e escolares com bom desempenho escolar. Métodos: participaram deste estudo 30 escolares, na faixa etária de 9 a 12 anos, de ambos os gêneros, do Ensino Fundamental de escolas públicas e particulares, divididos em: Grupo Experimental (15 escolares com diagnóstico interdisciplinar de transtorno de déficit de atenção e hiperatividade) e Grupo Controle (15 escolares com bom desempenho escolar), pareado com o Grupo Experimental em idade, gênero, escolaridade, tipo de instituição de ensino (pública e particular). Os instrumentos utilizados para avaliação foram: Instrumento de Avaliação Sequencial (CONFIAS), Teste de Nomeação Seriada Rápida (RAN), Prova de repetição de palavras sem significado e Prova de leitura e escrita. Os resultados foram analisados por meio de testes estatísticos (Mann Whitney e Teste t de Student), adotando-se nível de significância de 5% (0,05). Resultados: os resultados analisados por meio de testes estatísticos revelaram diferenças significantes entre o grupo experimental e o grupo controle nas provas avaliadas. Conclusão: escolares com transtorno de déficit de atenção e hiperatividade apresentaram desempenho inferior em habilidades de consciência fonológica, acesso ao léxico, memória operacional, leitura e escrita de palavras, quando comparados aos escolares sem transtorno de déficit de atenção e hiperatividade, com bom desempenho escolar.

The Mental Lexicon of L2 Learners of Russian: Phonology and Morphology in Lexical Storage and Access

This review discusses a number of recent studies focusing on the role of phonological and morphological structure in lexical access of Russian words by non-native speakers. This research suggests that late second language (L2) learners differ from native speakers of Russian in several ways: Lower-proficiency L2 learners rely on unfaithful, or fuzzy, phonological representations of words, which are caused either by problems with encoding difficult phonological contrasts, such as hard and soft consonants, or by uncertainty about the phonological form and form-meaning mappings for low-frequency words. In processing morphologically complex inflected words, L2 learners rely on decomposition to access the lexical meaning through the stem and may ignore the information carried by the inflection. The reviewed findings have broader implications for the understanding of nonnative word recognition, and the role of L2 proficiency in lexical processing.

Benefits of augmentative signs in word learning: Evidence from children who are deaf/hard of hearing and children with specific language impairment

BackgroundAugmentative signs may facilitate word learning in children with vocabulary difficulties, for example, children who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing (DHH) and children with Specific Language Impairment (SLI). Despite the fact that augmentative signs may aid second language learning in populations with a typical language development, empirical evidence in favor of this claim is lacking. AimsWe aim to investigate whether augmentative signs facilitate word learning for DHH children, children with SLI, and typically developing (TD) children. Methods and proceduresWhereas previous studies taught children new labels for familiar objects, the present study taught new labels for new objects. In our word learning experiment children were presented with pictures of imaginary creatures and pseudo words. Half of the words were accompanied by an augmentative pseudo sign. The children were tested for their receptive word knowledge. Outcomes and resultsThe DHH children benefitted significantly from augmentative signs, but the children with SLI and TD age-matched peers did not score significantly different on words from either the sign or no-sign condition. Conclusions and implicationsThese results suggest that using Sign-Supported speech in classrooms of bimodal bilingual DHH children may support their spoken language development. The difference between earlier research findings and the present results may be caused by a difference in methodology.

Desenvolvimento de Habilidades Metafonológicas e Aprendizagem da Leitura e da Escrita em Alunos com Síndrome de Down

RESUMO: este artigo teve como objetivo investigar os resultados produzidos pela aplicação de um programa de intervenção pedagógica que englobou o ensino do alfabeto associado ao treinamento de habilidades metafonológicas com vistas à aprendizagem da leitura e escrita. Participaram da pesquisa cinco crianças e adolescentes com Síndrome de Down, com idades entre 9 e 15 anos que estavam iniciando o processo de alfabetização. A pesquisa contou com a aplicação de pré-teste, intervenção, pós-teste 1 e pós-teste 2. No pré-teste e nos pós-testes 1 e 2 foram aplicados testes de vocabulário, consciência fonológica, prova de conhecimento de letras, e prova de leitura e de escrita de palavras e pseudopalavras. Durante a intervenção foi implementado um programa de ensino dos nomes e sons das letras, associado ao treinamento de habilidades metafonológicas com ênfase no processamento fonológico. Os resultados mostram que o ensino explícito dos nomes e sons das letras, associado ao treinamento de habilidades metafonológicas e das conexões entre fonemas e grafemas possibilitou aos alunos com Síndrome de Down a compreensão do princípio alfabético e aprendizagem da leitura e da escrita. Conclui-se que as habilidades desenvolvidas na intervenção possibilitaram, por meio da mediação fonológica, aos participantes a aprendizagem inicial da linguagem escrita.

Acoustic–Phonetic Versus Lexical Processing in Nonnative Listeners Differing in Their Dominant Language

Nonnative listeners have difficulty recognizing English words due to underdeveloped acoustic-phonetic and/or lexical skills. The present study used Boothroyd and Nittrouer's (1988)j factor to tease apart these two components of word recognition. Participants included 15 native English and 29 native Russian listeners. Fourteen and 15 of the Russian listeners reported English (ED) and Russian (RD) to be their dominant language, respectively. Listeners were presented 119 consonant-vowel-consonant real and nonsense words in speech-spectrum noise at +6 dB SNR. Responses were scored for word and phoneme recognition, the logarithmic quotient of which yielded j. Word and phoneme recognition was comparable between native and ED listeners but poorer in RD listeners. Analysis of j indicated less effective use of lexical information in RD than in native and ED listeners. Lexical processing was strongly correlated with the length of residence in the United States. Language background is important for nonnative word recognition. Lexical skills can be regarded as nativelike in ED nonnative listeners. Compromised word recognition in ED listeners is unlikely a result of poor lexical processing. Performance should be interpreted with caution for listeners dominant in their first language, whose word recognition is affected by both lexical and acoustic-phonetic factors.

Processing nonnative consonant clusters in the classroom: Perception and production of phonetic detail

Recent research has shown that speakers are sensitive to non-contrastive phonetic detail present in nonnative speech (e.g. Escudero et al. 2012; Wilson et al. 2014). Difficulties in interpreting and implementing unfamiliar phonetic variation can lead nonnative speakers to modify second language forms by vowel epenthesis and other changes. These difficulties may be exacerbated in the classroom, as previous studies have found that classroom acoustics have a detrimental effect on listeners’ ability to identify nonnative sounds and words (e.g. Takata and Nábělek, 1990). Here we compare the effects of two acoustic environments – a sound booth and a classroom – on English speakers’ ability to process and produce unfamiliar consonant sequences in an immediate shadowing task. A number of acoustic–phonetic properties were manipulated to create variants of word-initial obstruent–obstruent and obstruent–nasal clusters. The acoustic manipulations significantly affected English speakers’ correct productions and detailed error patterns in both the sound booth and the classroom, suggesting that the relevant acoustic detail is not substantially degraded by classroom acoustics. However, differences in the response patterns in the two environments indicate that the classroom setting does affect how speakers interpret nonnative phonetic detail for the purpose of determining their production targets.