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The effect of prosody on conceptual combination
Dermot Lynott1, Louise Connell
1School of Psychological Sciences, University of Manchester.
Cognitive Science
|May 14, 2011
Summary
Prosody, or speech emphasis, influences how people understand new word pairs. Dual emphasis speeds up property-based meanings, suggesting distinct cognitive processes for different interpretations.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Linguistics
- Psycholinguistics
Background:
- Comprehension of novel noun-noun phrases has overlooked prosody's role.
- Debate exists on whether conceptual combination uses single or multiple processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate prosody's influence on meaning construction in novel noun-noun phrases.
- Examine if property-based and relation-based interpretations involve distinct cognitive mechanisms.
Main Methods:
- Two studies manipulated prosodic emphasis (modifier, head, or dual stress) in novel noun-noun phrases.
- Participants generated interpretations for these phrases.
Main Results:
- Dual emphasis on both nouns accelerated property-based interpretations.
- Prosody had minimal impact on the speed of relation-based interpretations.
Conclusions:
- Prosody plays a role in constructing meaning for novel phrases.
- Findings support distinct processes for property- and relation-based interpretations, challenging unitary views.
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