Overriding the Metrical Bias with Lexical Information: English-Learning 7.5-Month-Olds Use Mommy to Segment Iambic Words. Issue 4 (1st October 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Sandoval, Michelle; Gómez, Rebecca L.
• Is Part Of: Language learning and development. Volume 12:Issue 4(2016)
• Page Start: 398
• Page End: 412
• Publication Date: 2016-10-01
• Subjects: Language acquisition -- Research -- Periodicals; Children -- Language -- Periodicals; 401.9305
• DOI: 10.1080/15475441.2016.1162722
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1547-5441

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Previous research shows that English-learning 7.5-month-olds are biased to segment speech at strong syllables consistent with the predominant trochaic (strong-weak) pattern of words in their language (Jusczyk, Houston, & Newsome, 1999). The present study asked whether 7.5-month-olds can use a familiar name to override their metrical bias and segment iambic (weak-strong) words from natural speech. Infants were familiarized to passages containing weak-strong-weak sequences ( guiTAR is ) preceded by Mama/Mommy or an unfamiliar name. Infants were tested on iambic words ( guiTAR in Experiments 1–2) or trochaic nonwords ( TARis in Experiment 3). Segmentation occurred only for iambic words that were preceded by Mama/Mommy during familiarization. The presence of Mama/Mommy attenuated infants' bias to treat strong-syllables as word onsets. We suggest that young infants weight highly familiar words more strongly than metrical information and discuss the implications of this finding for a hierarchical model of segmentation that connects infant and adult segmentation systems.