Learning New Words II: Phonotactic Probability in Verb-learning

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Issue Date
2003Author
Storkel, Holly L.
Publisher
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
Type
Article
Article Version
Scholarly/refereed, author accepted manuscript
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Show full item recordAbstract
Phonotactic probability, a measure of the likelihood of occurrence of a sound sequence, appears to facilitate noun learning (H. L. Storkel, 2001). Nouns and verbs, however, tend to differ in rate of acquisition, indicating that word-learning mechanisms may differ across grammatical class. The purpose of the current study was to examine the effect of phonotactic probability on verb learning. Thirty-four typically developing preschool children participated in a multitrial word-learning task involving nonwords varying in phonotactic probability paired with unfamiliar actions. Multiple measures of word learning were obtained at increasing numbers of exposures. Correct responses were analyzed to examine rate of word learning. Results paralleled those of the previous noun-learning study, with common sound sequences being learned more rapidly than rare sound sequences. The results are interpreted in relation to the effect of distributional regularities on acquisition and the reported discrepancy between noun and verb learning in English.
Description
This is the author's accepted manuscript. The original is available at http://jslhr.pubs.asha.org/article.aspx?articleid=1781381
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Citation
Storkel, Holly L. "Learning New Words II." J Speech Lang Hear Res Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research 46.6 (2003): 1312. http://dx.doi.org/10.1044/1092-4388(2003/102).
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