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How alliteration enhances conceptual-attentional interactions in reading
Ciara Egan1, Filipe Cristino2, Joshua S Payne3
1School of Psychology, Bangor University, Wales, UK.
Summary
Literary alliteration enhances reading by improving meaning integration and attention. Sound repetition helps link concepts, revealing how phonology aids comprehension beyond literal semantics.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Linguistics
- Psycholinguistics
- Neuroscience of Reading
Background:
- The arbitrary link between word form and meaning is a core linguistic principle.
- Literary devices like alliteration intentionally create sound patterns, suggesting a functional role.
- Understanding how phonological form influences meaning processing is crucial for literary analysis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the cognitive mechanisms by which alliteration impacts reading comprehension.
- To determine if phonological repetition (alliteration) affects semantic integration and attentional engagement.
- To explore the role of sound patterns in linking concepts beyond literal semantic relationships.
Main Methods:
- Participants read adjective-noun phrases with manipulated semantic relatedness and alliteration.
- Simultaneous recording of event-related brain potentials (ERPs) and pupil dilation (PD).
- Analysis of N400 amplitude (semantic integration) and PD (attentional engagement).
Main Results:
- Semantic incongruity increased N400 amplitude but decreased PD (attentional engagement).
- Alliteration reduced N400 amplitude, even for semantically unrelated words, indicating an effect on semantic evaluation.
- Alliteration specifically enhanced attentional engagement for semantically related words, correlating with N400 and PD changes.
Conclusions:
- Alliteration strategically modulates attention and meaning integration during reading.
- Phonological information aids in linking concepts, especially when semantic comprehension is challenged.
- Sound repetition in literature provides a cognitive mechanism for enhanced engagement and meaning construction.
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