Phonological Processing Research Articles

What difficulties do children learning English in addition to another language experience with English oral language? A systematic review

ABSTRACT Within the majority of English-speaking settings, children learning English as an additional language (CLEAL) underperform academically relative to their monolingual, English-speaking peers. This systematic review (preregistration: https://archive.org/details/osf-registrations-zgmha-v1) identifies the elements of the English oral language where these children experience difficulty. We focused on research measuring an English oral language outcome for CLEAL between the ages of 3 and 7 and their age-matched, monolingual English-speaking peers. We searched PsycINFO, Web of Science, British Education Index and Linguistics and Language Behaviour s, for studies published between 2015 and 2024, written in English. Of the 2125 records identified, 20 were eligible for inclusion, with a low-to-moderate risk of bias. Overall, our target group performed significantly worse in tests of English receptive and expressive vocabulary, syntactic knowledge, listening comprehension, embedding, collocational knowledge and areas of narrative skill and phonological production. However, these children were comparable with their peers in other areas of narrative skill, lexical and pragmatic understanding, elements of morphological production and areas of phonological production and processing. Overall, while the picture is mixed, highlighting the need for further study of oral English in CLEAL, this review strengthens existing arguments for vocabulary and syntax acquisition as appropriate targets for intervention.

Incorporating Frequency Effects in the Lexical Access of Mandarin Tone 3 Sandhi.

Mandarin tone 3 sandhi refers to the phenomenon whereby a tone 3 syllable changes to a tone 2 when followed by another tone 3. This phonological process creates a deviation between the tonal forms realized at morphemic (/tone3-tone3/) and word ([tone2-tone3]) levels, posing questions in terms of how disyllabic tone 3 sandhi words are represented and accessed. The current study conducted three cross-modal lexical decision priming experiments to investigate this issue. Experiment 1 manipulated the frequencies of the initial morpheme and whole word, showing that the higher initial-character frequency against the whole word gives stronger activation to the underlying representation and the lower frequency of the initial character leads to stronger activation of the surface tone. Experiments 2 and 3 operationalized the relative frequency of the initial tone 3 morpheme's realization as a sandhi tone, finding that the competition between the two tonal realizations also influences how T3 sandhi words are accessed. Specifically, the more frequently the T3 morpheme surfaces as a T2 allomorph, the less activated the underlying representation becomes in the mental lexicon. Our results indicate a complex interplay between morpheme, word, and the associated tonal representations in the mental lexicon and that these factors co-determine the lexical access of tone 3 sandhi.

Amplitude rise time sensitivity in children with and without dyslexia: differential task effects and longitudinal relations to phonology and literacy.

The speech amplitude envelope carries important acoustic information required for speech intelligibility and contains sensory cues (amplitude rise times, ARTs) that play a key role in both sensory rhythm perception and neural speech encoding. Individual differences in children's sensitivity to ARTs have been related to the development of children's phonological processing skills across languages by the Temporal Sampling theory. Impaired processing of ARTs also characterises children with dyslexia. However, different ART tasks have been employed in different studies, in different languages, and at different ages. Here, we compare the sensitivity of three frequently used ART tasks (based on synthetic syllables, sine tones, and speech-shaped noise) in a longitudinal study of English-speaking children with and without dyslexia. Children's ability to discriminate rising frequency, duration, and intensity was also tested. ART discrimination in all 3 tasks was significantly inter-related, but different relations to phonology and literacy were found for different ART tasks at different ages. In particular, the often-used sine tone and speech-shaped noise ART tasks showed greater sensitivity in older children, while the synthetic syllable task (/ba/ rise) showed greater sensitivity in younger children. Sensitivity to rising frequency was also related to phonology and literacy across ages. The data are interpreted with respect to the Temporal Sampling theory of developmental dyslexia.

Perception of Phonological Assimilation by Neural Speech Recognition Models

Abstract Human listeners effortlessly compensate for phonological changes during speech perception, often unconsciously inferring the intended sounds. For example, listeners infer the underlying /n/ when hearing an utterance such as “clea[m] pan”, where [m] arises from place assimilation to the following labial [p]. This article explores how the neural speech recognition model Wav2Vec2 perceives assimilated sounds, and identifies the linguistic knowledge that is implemented by the model to compensate for assimilation during Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR). Using psycholinguistic stimuli, we systematically analyze how various linguistic context cues influence compensation patterns in the model’s output. Complementing these behavioral experiments, our probing experiments indicate that the model shifts its interpretation of assimilated sounds from their acoustic form to their underlying form in its final layers. Finally, our causal intervention experiments suggest that the model relies on minimal phonological context cues to accomplish this shift. These findings represent a step towards better understanding the similarities and differences in phonological processing between neural ASR models and humans.

Development and Validation of Phonological Processing Assessment Tool in Kannada Language

The research evidence in orthographically transparent language Kannada indicates that phonological processing significantly influences reading acquisition, and deficits increase the risk of dyslexia. A comprehensive assessment of phonological processing that includes phonological awareness, phonological memory, and phonological naming is crucial for implementing effective intervention strategies, thereby reducing the risk of dyslexia. However, there is a notable absence of phonological processing assessment tools specifically designed and validated for children learning to read alphasyllabary Kannada. The present study addresses this gap by developing and validating a phonological processing assessment tool for children between Grade I and Grade III learning to read alphasyllabary languages such as Kannada. The study was conducted in two distinct phases. The first phase consisted of developing and piloting a phonological processing assessment tool. It included the stages of task selection, item generation, content validation, pilot testing, and reliability analysis. In the second phase, the developed tool was validated by administering it to both typically developing children and children at-risk for dyslexia from Grade I through Grade III. Subsequently, the developmental appropriateness of the tool was tested by comparing the performance of typically developing children between the grades. Additionally, diagnostic validity, including sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve, was established by comparing the performance of typically developing and at-risk children. The study makes a substantial contribution to research on reading in Akshara orthographies, offering a valuable clinical tool for identifying children at-risk for dyslexia.

The time course of Cantonese and Hong Kong Sign Language phonological activation: An ERP study of deaf bimodal bilingual readers of Chinese

This study investigated Cantonese and Hong Kong Sign Language (HKSL) phonological activation patterns in Hong Kong deaf readers using the ERP technique. Two experiments employing the error disruption paradigm were conducted while recording participants’ EEGs. Experiment 1 focused on orthographic and speech-based phonological processing, while Experiment 2 examined sign-phonological processing. ERP analyses focused on the P200 (180–220 ms) and N400 (300–500 ms) components.The results of Experiment 1 showed that hearing readers exhibited both orthographic and phonological effects in the P200 and N400 windows, consistent with previous studies on Chinese reading. In deaf readers, significant speech-based phonological effects were observed in the P200 window, and orthographic effects spanned both the P200 and N400 windows. Comparative analysis between the two groups revealed distinct spatial distributions for orthographic and speech-based phonological ERP effects, which may indicate the engagement of different neural networks during early processing stages.Experiment 2 found evidence of sign-phonological activation in both the P200 and N400 windows among deaf readers, which may reflect the involvement of sign-phonological representations in early lexical access and later semantic integration. Furthermore, exploratory analysis revealed that higher reading fluency in deaf readers correlated with stronger orthographic effects in the P200 window and diminished effects in the N400 window, indicating that efficient orthographic processing during early lexical access is a distinguishing feature of proficient deaf readers.

Utility Prospect of the Working Memory Model in Whispered Interpreting - the Case Study in “Nanning Tour” at the 20th China-ASEAN Expo as an Example

This study examines whispered interpreting (WI), where interpreters translate spoken language in real-time at a soft volume. It underscores the Working Memory Model’s (WMM) utility in such tasks, which demand intense cognitive effort. A practical example from the 2023 China-ASEAN Expo showcases the model’s mechanisms enhancing interpreting efficiency. The phonological loop processes verbal information, the visuo-spatial sketchpad handles visual cues, and the episodic buffer consolidates complex data. Managed by the central executive, these elements collectively lighten the cognitive load and boost performance. The paper reveals WMM’s untapped potential, advocating for deeper investigation into its application in WI.

Non-word repetition and vocabulary in Kuwaiti Arabic-speaking children with down syndrome and typically developing children

Overview Non-word repetition (NWR) is one of the most effective predictors of language impairments in children as it has been found to correlate with various language measures and the association between NWR and vocabulary is well documented in typically developing (TD) studies. However, there is a dire need for investigations of language skills in Kuwaiti Arabic individuals with Down Syndrome, and this study set out to fill a gap in this field. Method In this paper, we compare the vocabulary and NWR skills of a group of 48 individuals with DS aged 6–20 years to a group of 44 TD children aged 3–10 years matched on nonverbal IQ. Furthermore, we investigate the correlations among these language measures in the two groups and examine whether NWR can predict receptive and expressive vocabulary in these two groups. Result Results found DS participants performed significantly less than the TD group on the three language measures (receptive vocabulary t(90)= −3.17, p < .01, expressive vocabulary t(90)= −3.27, p < .01, and NWR t(90)= −8.32, p < .01). Moreover, there were strong correlations between NWR and vocabulary (receptive and expressive) in the TD group but not the DS group. Conclusion Findings supported the working memory model and the phonological processing account for the TD group. On the other hand, the poor association between NWR and vocabulary in the DS group might be due to poor phonological discrimination difficulties and speech discrimination difficulties.

Identifying Language Development in Children with ADHD: Differential Challenges, Interventions, and Collaborative Strategies.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) significantly influences children's language acquisition and usage. This theoretical study explores the multifaceted impact of ADHD on language development, specifically focusing on reading and writing challenges. Existing research reveals that approximately 30% of children with ADHD show significant delays in reading proficiency. Additionally, about 40% of these children struggle with phonological processing, which directly impacts their reading and writing skills. Interventions targeting executive function training combined with phonics-based instruction have been shown to significantly improve language outcomes. This study introduces a comprehensive framework connecting these challenges to specific interventions and collaborative strategies, emphasizing the importance of a multi-disciplinary approach. This work provides perspectives on the specific connections between ADHD symptoms and language difficulties, offering detailed potential solutions based on empirical data. Moreover, it features the necessity of adopting integrated intervention strategies to advance academic outcomes and communicative competencies for children with ADHD, providing new understandings into effective educational practices.

Effect of levels-of-processing on rates of forgetting.

The levels-of-processing (LOP) framework, proposing that deep processing yields superior retention, has provided an important paradigm for memory research and a practical means of improving learning. However, the available levels-of-processing literature focuses on immediate memory performance. It is assumed within the LOP framework that deep processing will lead to slower forgetting than will shallow processing. However, it is unclear whether, or how, the initial level of processing affects the forgetting slopes over longer retention intervals. The present three experiments were designed to explore whether items encoded at qualitatively different LOP are forgotten at different rates. In the first two experiments, depth of processing was manipulated within-participants at encoding under deep and shallow conditions (semantic vs. rhyme judgement in Experiment 1; semantic vs. consonant-vowel pattern decision in Experiment 2). Recognition accuracy (d prime) was measured between-participants immediately after learning and at 30-min, 2-h, and 24-h delays. The third experiment employed a between-participants design, contrasting the rates of forgetting following semantic and phonological (rhyme) processing at immediate, 30-min, 2-h, and 6-h delays. Results from the three experiments consistently demonstrated a large effect size of levels of processing on immediate performance and a medium-to-large level effect size on delayed recognition, but crucially no LOP × delay group interaction. Analysis of the retention curves revealed no significant differences between the slopes of forgetting for deep and shallow processing. These results suggest that the rates of forgetting are independent of the qualitatively distinct encoding operations manipulated by levels of processing.

Longitudinal trajectories of brain development from infancy to school age and their relationship to literacy development.

Reading is one of the most complex skills that we utilize daily, and it involves the early development and interaction of various lower-level subskills, including phonological processing and oral language. These subskills recruit brain structures, which begin to develop long before the skill manifests and exhibit rapid development during infancy. However, how longitudinal trajectories of early brain development in these structures supports long-term acquisition of literacy subskills and subsequent reading is unclear. Children underwent structural and diffusion MRI scanning at multiple timepoints between infancy and second grade and were tested for literacy subskills in preschool and decoding and word reading in early elementary school. We developed and implemented a reproducible pipeline to generate longitudinal trajectories of early brain development to examine associations between these trajectories and literacy (sub)skills. Furthermore, we examined whether familial risk of reading difficulty and a child's home literacy environment, two common literacy-related covariates, influenced those trajectories. Results showed that individual differences in curve features (e.g., intercepts and slopes) for longitudinal trajectories of volumetric, surface-based, and white matter organization measures in left-hemispheric reading-related regions and tracts were linked directly to phonological processing and indirectly to second-grade decoding and word reading skills via phonological processing. Altogether, these findings suggest that the brain bases of phonological processing, previously identified as the strongest behavioral predictor of reading and decoding skills, may already begin to develop early in infancy but undergo further refinement between birth and preschool. The present study underscores the importance of considering academic skill acquisition from the very beginning of life.

Literature Review on Psycholinguistic Processes in Reading Comprehension Mechanisms in Individuals with Language Disorders

This literature review investigates the psycholinguistic processes in reading comprehensionmechanisms in individuals with language impairment. Reading comprehension is an important aspect oflanguage development, yet individuals with language impairment often experience difficulties in understandingwritten text. Reading comprehension involves various psycholinguistic processes, including phonological,syntactic, semantic and pragmatic processing. Language impairment conditions such as dyslexia, languagedevelopment disorders and reading comprehension disorders often affect these mechanisms. Phonologicalprocessing is key in reading comprehension mechanisms, and individuals with language impairments often havedifficulty in recognising and decoding words. In addition, syntactic aspects play an important role inunderstanding sentence structure and the relationship between sentence elements. Reading comprehensiondisorders are often associated with difficulties in understanding semantic relationships, recognising wordmeanings and applying semantic knowledge in reading contexts. In addition, pragmatic factors are alsoimportant in comprehending text, including understanding context and communicative purpose. Individuals withlanguage impairment may have difficulty in picking up pragmatic nuances and applying them in readingcomprehension. This literature review presents an in-depth understanding of the relationship betweenpsycholinguistic processes and reading comprehension mechanisms in individuals with language impairment.The clinical implications of this study may aid the development of more effective intervention strategies toimprove reading comprehension in this population. With a better understanding of the factors that influencereading comprehension, health and education practitioners can design specific and targeted interventionprogrammes to improve reading ability in individuals with language impairment.

Assessing students with dyslexia and other reading difficulties through multiple diagnostic assessments.

This article aims to assist practitioners in understanding dyslexia and other reading difficulties and assessing students' learning needs. We describe the essential components of language and literacy, universal screening, diagnostic assessments, curriculum-based measurement and eligibility determination. We then introduce four diagnostic assessments as examples, including norm-referenced assessments (i.e. the Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing second edition and the Woodcock-Johnson IV Tests of Achievement) and criterion-referenced assessments (i.e. the Gallistel-Ellis Test of Coding Skills and the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills). Finally, We use a makeup case as a concrete example to illustrate how multiple diagnostic assessments are recorded and how the results can be used to inform intervention and eligibility for special education services.

Effects of Time Interval and Interference Manipulations on Word-Level Repetition and Naming Performance in Persons with Aphasia

Objectives: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact on the repetition and naming ability of Korean aphasia patients by controlling their working memory load through time intervals and interference effects using the Temple Assessment of Language and verbal Short-term memory in Aphasia (TALSA) protocol. In addition, we examined the phonological and lexical-meaning processing abilities of persons with aphasia through word repetition tasks, nonword repetition tasks, and picture naming tasks to examine phonological and lexical-meaning production abilities. Methods: Thirteen native Korean speakers with aphasia participated in the study, along with twelve control group participants. The word and nonword repetition tasks were conducted under three conditions to examine the time delay and interference effects. Each condition entailed listening to each ten words of two and three syllables. Similarly, the picture naming tasks were carried out under three conditions involving viewing ten pictures of two and three syllables each. Results: This study examined how the repetition and naming ability of persons with aphasia, i.e., the ability to producing phonemes and lexical-meaning of persons with aphasia, varies when adjusting the working memory load under time interval and interference effect conditions. This study found that the difference in performance between groups was significant for both tasks. In particular, the larger the time interval, the greater the interference effect; that is, the greater the load of working memory, the lower the performance of aphasia subjects compared to the control group. Conclusion: Since the aphasia subjects have poor working memory ability, the results of this study indicate that as the cognitive load increases, they are more affected by the ability to process phonological and semantic activations.

Examining the developmental trade-off between phonology and morphology in Hebrew reading acquisition

AbstractThe relative importance of phonological versus morphological processes in reading varies depending on the writing system's orthographic consistency and morphological complexity. This study investigated the interplay between phonology and morphology in Hebrew reading acquisition, a language offering a unique opportunity for such examination with its rich, complex Semitic morphological system and dual writing versions differing in orthographic consistency—transparent-pointed and deep-unpointed versions. Ninety-eight second graders and 81 fourth graders participated in pseudoword-reading tasks designed to distinguish between the different processes: pointed morphologically based pseudowords (pointed MPW), reflecting phonological and morphological processing; unpointed morphologically based pseudowords (unpointed MPW), reflecting only morphological processing; and pointed non-words (pointed NW), with no internal morphological structure, reflecting only phonological processing. Real pointed-word reading accuracy and fluency were also assessed. Results showed the highest accuracy in reading unpointed MPW, with a similar accuracy level observed between unpointed MPW and pointed MPW in second grade, while a significant difference emerged in fourth grade. An age-by-processing type interaction revealed decreasing accuracy in pointed MPW and increasing accuracy in unpointed MPW with age. Additionally, morphological processing significantly enhanced the accuracy and fluency of reading pointed words beyond phonological processing, despite the comprehensive phonological information provided by the transparent, pointed script. These findings suggest that the contribution of morphology exceeds that of phonology as early as second grade, with this trend strengthening through fourth grade, emphasizing children's early prioritization of morphological transparency over orthographic consistency in learning to read Hebrew Semitic orthography.

Lexical Morphology as a Source of Risk and Resilience for Learning to Read With Dyslexia: An fNIRS Investigation.

We examined the neurocognitive bases of lexical morphology in children of varied reading abilities to understand the role of meaning-based skills in learning to read with dyslexia. Children completed auditory morphological and phonological awareness tasks during functional near-infrared spectroscopy neuroimaging. We first examined the relation between lexical morphology and phonological processes in typically developing readers (Study 1, N = 66, Mage = 8.39), followed by a more focal inquiry into lexical morphology processes in dyslexia (Study 2, N = 50, Mage = 8.62). Typical readers exhibited stronger engagement of language neurocircuitry during the morphology task relative to the phonology task, suggesting that morphological analyses involve synthesizing multiple components of sublexical processing. This effect was stronger for more analytically complex derivational affixes (like + ly) than more semantically transparent free base morphemes (snow + man). In contrast, children with dyslexia exhibited stronger activation during the free base condition relative to derivational affix condition. Taken together, the findings suggest that although children with dyslexia may struggle with derivational morphology, they may also use free base morphemes' semantic information to boost word recognition. This study informs literacy theories by identifying an interaction between reading ability, word structure, and how the developing brain learns to recognize words in speech and print. https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.25944949.

Exploring the Variation of Third Tone Sandhi in Native Chinese Mandarin: An Acoustic Analysis

Tone is one of the most prominent, distinctive, and significant properties of the Chinese language. In the realm of tone sandhi, one of the most interesting phenomena is the Tone 3 sandhi (T3). T3 sandhi is one of the rules in the phonological change, a low T3 syllable inevitably changes to a rising tone (T2) when it is followed by another T3 syllable. This study aims to investigate the underlying mechanism of the third tone (T3) sandhi in Mandarin Chinese, comparing the acoustic features in both real words and pseudowords. The current study employed a qualitative descriptive method and PRAAT6310 acoustic analysis software. The findings of the study demonstrated that T3 sandhi in real words of the Chinese language resembles pseudowords and is likely computed naturally in a phonological cognition process. This research provides an important reference value for research in the fields of tonal variation in Chinese language and language acquisition.

Metalinguistic Effects on English Spelling: A Structural Equation Model for Early Literacy Instruction

English word spelling attempts originate from spellers’ linguistic and metalinguistic processing. Our study examines the concerted impact of English metalinguistic skills- morphological, phonological, and orthographic processing- on English-as-a-foreign language spelling of a group of young English learners. Structural equation modeling confirmed a three-factor confirmatory factor model, validating phonological awareness on spelling with highest factor loading with degrees of morphology and orthography contribution to spelling. The qualitative spelling analyses also validated phonologically-oriented spelling errors as the most pervasive followed by unique contribution of orthography and morphology. Results, converging with existing literature, emphasize the metalinguistic skills impacts on early EFL literacy development.

Impact of ASL Exposure on Spoken Phonemic Discrimination in Adult CI Users: A Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Study

Abstract We examined the impact of exposure to a signed language (American Sign Language, or ASL) at different ages on the neural systems that support spoken language phonemic discrimination in deaf individuals with cochlear implants (CIs). Deaf CI users (N = 18, age = 18–24 yrs) who were exposed to a signed language at different ages and hearing individuals (N = 18, age = 18–21 yrs) completed a phonemic discrimination task in a spoken native (English) and non-native (Hindi) language while undergoing functional near-infrared spectroscopy neuroimaging. Behaviorally, deaf CI users who received a CI early versus later in life showed better English phonemic discrimination, albeit phonemic discrimination was poor relative to hearing individuals. Importantly, the age of exposure to ASL was not related to phonemic discrimination. Neurally, early-life language exposure, irrespective of modality, was associated with greater neural activation of left-hemisphere language areas critically involved in phonological processing during the phonemic discrimination task in deaf CI users. In particular, early exposure to ASL was associated with increased activation in the left hemisphere’s classic language regions for native versus non-native language phonemic contrasts for deaf CI users who received a CI later in life. For deaf CI users who received a CI early in life, the age of exposure to ASL was not related to neural activation during phonemic discrimination. Together, the findings suggest that early signed language exposure does not negatively impact spoken language processing in deaf CI users, but may instead potentially offset the negative effects of language deprivation that deaf children without any signed language exposure experience prior to implantation. This empirical evidence aligns with and lends support to recent perspectives regarding the impact of ASL exposure in the context of CI usage.

Use Of Language Variations On Tiktok Social Media In Generation Z

This article reviews how the use of Indonesian language in TikTok social media through several accounts of young people in generation Z. Where this tiktok media is used as a means to display his identity as a slang young person in social media with the use of language variations that are sociolect language variations. This study aims to determine the use of language used by generation Z young people in every upload of TikTok video posts, captions used and comments made by netizens. This research uses a method with a type of literature study research which is then used for data collection. Based on the results of the study, it can be concluded that the analysis of the use of language variations on TikTok social media of generation Z young people found several language variations such as acrolec variations, vulgarity, slang, colloquial, jargon, and ken in several posts, captions and in the comment column. Caused by two factors, namely internal factors and external factors. In internal factors, language variation is formed through phonological and morphological processes. The external factors behind the use of language variations are informal or informal speech situations, the age of TikTok users who are still dominated by teenagers, the goals to be achieved by speakers, and differences in education and work levels.