Abstract
In two experiments, we investigated whether onsets and rimes have a role in the processing of written English. In both experiments, participants detected letter targets (e.g.,t) in nonwords likevult faster than in nonwords likevust. This finding is consistent with Selkirk’s (1982) view that sonorants (e.g., the /l/ ofvult) cohere with preceding short vowels and are part of the vowel nucleus. In contrast, the /t/ ofvust is part of the syllable’s codast and so is harder to isolate. Experiment 2 demonstrated that the time required for one to detect single-member codas following vowel digraphs (e.g., thet inveet) was similar to the time to detect the same target letter following a postvocalic sonorant (e.g., thet invult). No evidence was found for onsets. The results provide support for a phonological organization among letters of printed rimes.
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This work was supported in part by NSF Grant SBR-9408456 to R. Treiman.
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Gross, J., Treiman, R. & Inman, J. The role of phonology in a letter detection task. Memory & Cognition 28, 349–357 (2000). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03198550
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03198550