CFL learners’ Mandarin syllable-tone word production: effects of task and prior phonological and lexical learning

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 31-52
Author(s):  
Jiang Liu ◽  
Seth Wiener
Keyword(s):  
Naming Task ◽  
Task Type ◽  
Word Production ◽  
The Other ◽  
Long Term Memory ◽  
Reading Task ◽  
Chinese Speakers ◽  
Token Frequency ◽  
Minimal Pairs ◽  
Sound Image

Abstract This study examined beginner-level Chinese as a Foreign Language (CFL) learners’ production of newly learned words in an image naming and pinyin-reading task. Fifteen L1-English CFL learners learned 10 tonal monosyllabic minimal pairs (e.g., shu1 and shu3) in a three-day sound-image word learning experiment. Ten of the 20 words were homophonous with previously learned words (e.g., participants already knew that shu1 means ‘book’), while the other 10 were not (e.g., no shu3 words had been learned). Ten of the 20 words had frequent phonology participants were familiar with (e.g., shi is a high token frequency syllable), while the other 10 had infrequent phonology (e.g., ku is a low token frequency syllable). On the last day of learning, participants performed an image naming task followed by a pinyin-reading task. The recoded word tokens from both tasks were then played to 10 native Chinese speakers who were asked to transcribe the words in pinyin. The results showed that overall word production in the pinyin-reading task was more accurate than image naming. The pinyin-reading advantage was robust, but homophone status and syllable token frequency also interacted with task type: learners produced syllables with high token frequency but without homophones equally well in the pinyin-reading and naming tasks. These results suggest phonological encoding in long-term memory based on pinyin orthography can be affected by learners’ prior phonological and lexical knowledge. Pedagogical applications and limitations of the study are discussed, as well.

A Unique Asymmetrical Stroop Effect in Absolute Pitch Possessors

2012 ◽  
Vol 59 (5) ◽  
pp. 272-278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lilach Akiva-Kabiri ◽  
Avishai Henik
Keyword(s):  
Selective Attention ◽  
Stroop Task ◽  
Stroop Effect ◽  
Congruency Effect ◽  
Absolute Pitch ◽  
Naming Task ◽  
Color Naming ◽  
Reading Task ◽  
Pitch Processing ◽  
Reverse Pattern

The Stroop task has been employed to study automaticity or failures of selective attention for many years. The effect is known to be asymmetrical, with words affecting color naming but not vice versa. In the current work two auditory-visual Stroop-like tasks were devised in order to study the automaticity of pitch processing in both absolute pitch (AP) possessors and musically trained controls without AP (nAP). In the tone naming task, participants were asked to name the auditory tone while ignoring a visual note name. In the note naming task, participants were asked to read a note name while ignoring the auditory tone. The nAP group showed a significant congruency effect only in the tone naming task, whereas AP possessors showed the reverse pattern, with a significant congruency effect only in the note reading task. Thus, AP possessors were unable to ignore the auditory tone when asked to read the note, but were unaffected by the verbal note name when asked to label the auditory tone. The results suggest that pitch identification in participants endowed with AP ability is automatic and impossible to suppress.

Patterns of Searching for Information on the World Wide Web: A Pilot Study

2003 ◽  
Vol 92 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1091-1096 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nobuhiko Fujihara ◽  
Asako Miura
Keyword(s):  
World Wide Web ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Search Engines ◽  
World Wide ◽  
Information Sources ◽  
Task Type ◽  
The Other ◽  
The World ◽  
Selection Of ◽  
Search Domain

The influences of task type on search of the World Wide Web using search engines without limitation of search domain were investigated. 9 graduate and undergraduate students studying psychology (1 woman and 8 men, M age = 25.0 yr., SD = 2.1) participated. Their performance to manipulate the search engines on a closed task with only one answer were compared with their performance on an open task with several possible answers. Analysis showed that the number of actions was larger for the closed task ( M = 91) than for the open task ( M = 46.1). Behaviors such as selection of keywords (averages were 7.9% of all actions for the closed task and 16.7% for the open task) and pressing of the browser's back button (averages were 40.3% of all actions for the closed task and 29.6% for the open task) were also different. On the other hand, behaviors such as selection of hyperlinks, pressing of the home button, and number of browsed pages were similar for both tasks. Search behaviors were influenced by task type when the students searched for information without limitation placed on the information sources.

Productivity of French and Dutch (semi-)copular constructions and the adverse impact of high token frequency

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niek Van Wettere
Keyword(s):  
Frequency Distribution ◽  
The Other ◽  
Adverse Impact ◽  
Frequent Type ◽  
Token Frequency ◽  
Semantic Classes ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The One

Abstract This paper examines the productivity of the subject complement slot in a set of French and Dutch (semi-)copular micro-constructions. The presumed counterpart of productivity, conventionalization in the form of high token frequency, will also be taken into account in the analysis of the productivity complex. On the one hand, it will be shown that prototypical copulas generally have a higher productivity than semi-copulas, although there are some semi-copulas that can rival the productivity of prototypical copulas. On the other hand, it will be demonstrated that high token frequency is in general detrimental to productivity, on the level of the entire subject complement slot and on the level of the different semantic classes. However, the shape of the frequency distribution also seems to play a role: multiple highly frequent types are in my data more detrimental to productivity than one extremely frequent type, although the semantic connectedness of the types in the distribution might also be an explanatory factor.

scholarly journals Leísmo or fake-leísmo? New Insights into Catalan Contact Spanish from the FEC Corpus

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 ◽  
pp. 1-26
Author(s):  
Monja Burkard
Keyword(s):  
Spontaneous Speech ◽  
The Other ◽  
Linguistic Variables ◽  
Reading Task ◽  
Language Dominance ◽  
Bilingual Speakers ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
The One

The aim of this study is to describe the use of the pronouns le and les in the Spanish spoken in the province of Barcelona. We analyzed a sample of 12 reading tasks and 22 oral interviews taken from two corpora: the FEC (Fonología del Español Contemporáneo, Pustka et alii 2018) corpus (with mainly Catalan-dominant bilingual speakers) and the Corpus oral de profesionales de la lengua castellana en Barcelona (Sinner 2001, with mainly Spanish-dominant bilinguals). In doing so, we took into account several linguistic variables as well as language dominance of the speakers in order to find out 1) if there is leísmo in Catalan Contact Spanish (although there is no equivalent of leísmo in Catalan) and if so, 2) which features of the referent and of the verb trigger leísmo in this variety, and 3) if Catalan-dominant bilinguals produce leísmo to a lesser extent. While the results of the reading task suggest that leísmo is not absent in the Spanish of Barcelona, there are only a few cases of leísmo in spontaneous speech in both corpora. Regarding the linguistic variables, we see that on the one hand, leísmo is not restricted to leísmo correcto in our corpora; on the other hand, the majority are fake-leismo cases. Thus, our data seem to suggest that the Spanish of Barcelona is only a fake-leísmo variety. Regarding the language dominance, however, we find that Catalan-dominant bilinguals do not produce fewer cases of leísmo, since the leísmo rate is higher in the FEC corpus.

scholarly journals Comparing the cognate effect in spoken and written second language word production

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Merel Muylle ◽  
Eva Van Assche ◽  
Robert Hartsuiker
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Picture Naming ◽  
Language Production ◽  
Naming Task ◽  
Written Language ◽  
Word Production ◽  
Error Pattern ◽  
Underlying Processes

Cognates – words that share form and meaning between languages – are processed faster than control words. However, it is unclear whether this effect is merely lexical (i.e., central) in nature, or whether it cascades to phonological/orthographic (i.e., peripheral) processes. This study compared the cognate effect in spoken and typewritten production, which share central, but not peripheral processes. We inquired whether this effect is present in typewriting, and if so, whether its magnitude is similar to spoken production. Dutch-English bilinguals performed either a spoken or written picture naming task in English; picture names were either Dutch-English cognates or control words. Cognates were named faster than controls and there was no cognate-by-modality interaction. Additionally, there was a similar error pattern in both modalities. These results suggest that common underlying processes are responsible for the cognate effect in spoken and written language production, and thus a central locus of the cognate effect.

scholarly journals The Effect of Incremental Changes in Phonotactic Probability and Neighborhood Density on Word Learning by Preschool Children

2013 ◽  
Vol 56 (5) ◽  
pp. 1689-1700 ◽  
Author(s):  
Holly L. Storkel ◽  
Daniel E. Bontempo ◽  
Andrew J. Aschenbrenner ◽  
Junko Maekawa ◽  
Su-Yeon Lee
Keyword(s):  
Multilevel Modeling ◽  
Word Learning ◽  
Full Range ◽  
Naming Task ◽  
Neighborhood Density ◽  
Affect Recognition ◽  
Long Term Memory ◽  
Phonotactic Probability ◽  
Sound Sequence

Purpose Phonotactic probability or neighborhood density has predominately been defined through the use of gross distinctions (i.e., low vs. high). In the current studies, the authors examined the influence of finer changes in probability (Experiment 1) and density (Experiment 2) on word learning. Method The authors examined the full range of probability or density by sampling 5 nonwords from each of 4 quartiles. Three- and 5-year-old children received training on nonword–nonobject pairs. Learning was measured in a picture-naming task immediately following training and 1 week after training. Results were analyzed through the use of multilevel modeling. Results A linear spline model best captured nonlinearities in phonotactic probability. Specifically, word learning improved as probability increased in the lowest quartile, worsened as probability increased in the mid-low quartile, and then remained stable and poor in the 2 highest quartiles. An ordinary linear model sufficiently described neighborhood density. Here, word learning improved as density increased across all quartiles. Conclusion Given these different patterns, phonotactic probability and neighborhood density appear to influence different word learning processes. Specifically, phonotactic probability may affect recognition that a sound sequence is an acceptable word in the language and is a novel word for the child, whereas neighborhood density may influence creation of a new representation in long-term memory.

Peut-on sauver un sens de dénomination pour les noms propres ?

2004 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georges Kleiber
Keyword(s):  
Proper Names ◽  
The Other ◽  
Long Term Memory ◽  
Semantic Description ◽  
Procedural Approach ◽  
Classic Problem ◽  
The Status ◽  
Proper Name ◽  
Procedural Instruction

This study revisits the classic problem posed by the meaning of proper names, and proposes a procedural approach to this problem, by analysing the meaning of proper names as an instruction to find in long-term memory the referent that carries the proper name in question. This is a revision of my earlier theory of ‘naming predicates’ (Kleiber 1981), which captures the meaning of proper names like Louis in terms of paraphrases of the form “the x who is called Louis”. The concept of ‘naming predicate’ was meant to provide an alternative to the inadequacies of the two classic approaches to the meaning of proper names, viz. theories that analyse proper names as semantically empty (e.g. Mills, Kripke 1972) and theories that analyse proper names in terms of uniquely identifying descriptions (Frege, Russell 1956). An analysis in terms of naming predicates (‘the X called Louis’) gives proper names an abstract type of meaning, thus avoiding the disembodied sign that results from analysing them as semantically empty, and at the same time does not go to the other extreme of incoporating aspects of the referent in the proper name’s meaning, thus avoiding the well-known problems with referential identity (e.g. Tullius = Cicero) and the related puzzles of transparence and opacity. In spite of these descriptive advantages, further research has shown that there are a number of problems with the notion of ‘naming predicate’. One of these problems concerns the status of proper names in ‘naming constructions’ like I am called Louis. Applying a naming predicate analysis to such constructions either leads to infinite regression (Wilmet 1995), or — if Louis in the naming predicate ‘the x called Louis’ is regarded as a phonetic form rather than a proper name — to a denial of proper name status in the very construction that expresses the naming link between proper name and referent (Jonasson 1982). Another problem concerns the cognitive naturalness of an analysis in terms of ‘naming predicates’. While this analysis is quite natural in contexts like There is no Louis in this office, it works less well in contexts like This painting is a real Picasso and, most importantly, in prototypical uses like Louis is a painter and a sculpturer, where a naming predicate analysis solely identifies the referent as the carrier of the proper name. These problems have led me to propose a revision to the theory of naming predicates. The descriptive advantages of using the naming relation between proper name and referent as the basis of the semantic description are obvious, which means that this aspect of the theory needs to be maintained. What causes most of the problems, however, is associating this naming relation with a predicate. As an alternative, I propose to reanalyse it in a procedural sense, not as a predicate describing the referent but as a procedural instruction to look for the referent that carries the proper name. This puts proper names in the domain of indexical signs like deictic elements. Common nouns, on the other hand, are not indexical in this sense but stand for concepts, which means that indexicality only comes into the picture when deictic elements are added.

scholarly journals Language control abilities of late bilinguals

2011 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 580-593 ◽  
Author(s):  
JULIA FESTMAN
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Verbal Fluency ◽  
Picture Naming ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Naming Task ◽  
The Other ◽  
Language Performance ◽  
Language Control ◽  
Cross Language ◽  
Late Bilinguals

Although all bilinguals encounter cross-language interference (CLI), some bilinguals are more susceptible to interference than others. Here, we report on language performance of late bilinguals (Russian/German) on two bilingual tasks (interview, verbal fluency), their language use and switching habits. The only between-group difference was CLI: one group consistently produced significantly more errors of CLI on both tasks than the other (thereby replicating our findings from a bilingual picture naming task). This striking group difference in language control ability can only be explained by differences in cognitive control, not in language proficiency or language mode.

Phonological and grammatical class cohorts in word production

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-97
Author(s):  
Pauline Pellet Cheneval ◽  
Marina Laganaro
Keyword(s):  
Naming Task ◽  
Word Production ◽  
Lexical Selection ◽  
Cohort Size ◽  
Grammatical Category ◽  
Facilitation Effect ◽  
Grammatical Class ◽  
Word Onset ◽  
Lexical Hypothesis ◽  
Healthy Participants

Abstract The lexical or sub-lexical loci of facilitation of word production by phonological cueing/priming are debated. We investigate whether phonological cues facilitate word production at the level of lexical selection by manipulating the size of the cohort of word onsets matching the cue. In the framework of lexical facilitation, a phonological cue corresponding to a small number of words should be more effective than a cue corresponding to a larger cohort. However, a lexical locus can clearly be inferred only if the facilitation effect in picture naming is modulated by a specific grammatical lexical cohort and not by the overall word onset cohort. Twenty-seven healthy participants performed an object/noun (Exp1) and an action/verb (Exp2) naming task with cues corresponding to large/small noun/verb onset cohorts. Results revealed that facilitation was modulated by the lexical onset cohort size of the cue in the target grammatical category. These results favour the lexical hypothesis and further suggest a categorical organization of the lexicon.

scholarly journals Common Chord Progressions and Feelings of Remembering

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 205920432091684
Author(s):  
Ivan Jimenez ◽  
Tuire Kuusi ◽  
Christopher Doll
Keyword(s):  
Popular Music ◽  
North American ◽  
Musical Training ◽  
The Other ◽  
Long Term Memory ◽  
Term Memory ◽  
One Year

Although Western tonal syntax can generate a very large number of chord successions of various lengths and degrees of complexity, some types of music, from Renaissance dances to recent pop, tend to rely more heavily on the repetition of relatively simple, short harmonic patterns. Doll recently identified short chord progressions commonly found in North American and British popular music and proposed that these chord progressions can be stored in long-term memory in the form of harmonic schemata that allow listeners to hear them as stereotypical chord progressions. However, considering the challenges that many listeners face when trying to consciously grasp harmony, it seems likely that the feelings of remembering chord progressions varies from listener to listener. To investigate these potential differences, we asked 231 listeners with various levels of musical training to rate their confidence on whether or not they had previously heard six diatonic four-chord progressions. To control for the effect of extra-harmonic features, we instantiated the chord progressions in a way that resembled the piano of a famous song and controlled for participants’ familiarity with that song and whether they had played its chords. We found that ratings correlated with typicality for the two groups of participants who had played an instrument for at least one year and to a lesser extent for the other participants. Additionally, all our players thought of specific songs more often and mentioned songs that better matched the stimuli in harmonic terms. What we did not find, however, was any effect associated to how long participants had played an instrument or the type of the instrument they had played. Our research supports the notion that both musical training and extra-harmonic features affect listeners’ feelings of remembering chord progressions.

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