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Do phonological representations specify variables? Evidence from the obligatory contour principle
I Berent1, D L Everett, J Shimron
1Department of Psychology, Florida Atlantic University, 777 Glades Road, P.O. Box 3091, Boca Raton, FL 33431-0991, USA. iberent@fau.edu
Cognitive Psychology
|February 13, 2001
Summary
This study shows that Hebrew speakers avoid gemination (doubled consonants) at the beginning of word roots, supporting the idea that linguistic representations include variables, not just patterns.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Science
- Linguistics
- Psychology
Background:
- Symbolic cognitive theories emphasize mental variables.
- The pattern associator hypothesis posits variables are obsolete.
- The Obligatory Contour Principle (OCP) in Hebrew linguistics constrains consonant gemination.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the representation of variables in cognition.
- To test whether the OCP, a constraint on gemination, is representable within a pattern associator framework.
- To determine if speakers are sensitive to the location of gemination in linguistic structures.
Main Methods:
- Three experiments were conducted using novel biconsonantal Hebrew roots.
- Participants formed words by reduplicating roots, with gemination occurring either initially or finally.
- Acceptability ratings and avoidance patterns were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Speakers demonstrated sensitivity to root gemination, preferring final over initial gemination.
- Outputs with initial gemination were rated as less acceptable.
- This avoidance was independent of word position and not explained by statistical frequency.
Conclusions:
- Linguistic representations appear to specify variables, challenging the pattern associator hypothesis.
- Speaker competence is governed by constraints that can be violated.
- The findings support theories where abstract linguistic variables are mentally represented.
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