The phoneme: A conceptual heritage from alphabetic literacy

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Cognitive Science
• Linguistics

Background:

• Literacy is often overlooked in contemporary cognitive psychology and science.
• This paper revisits the foundational work of Jacques Mehler and his influence on experimental psychology.
• The study acknowledges Mehler's contributions to understanding speech and spoken language structure.

Purpose of the Study:

• To argue that literacy profoundly influences cognition and cognitive science.
• To explore the concept of the phoneme and its relationship with literacy.
• To examine the interplay between orthography and phonology in spoken language recognition.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual analysis of the phoneme.
• Discussion of literacy's impact on cognitive processes.
• Review of experimental work on speech perception and language structure.

Main Results:

• The phoneme is presented not as a unit of perception but as a construct shaped by literacy.
• Literacy's influence on cognitive science is demonstrated through the analysis of phonemic concepts.
• Interactions between orthography and phonology are crucial for spoken language recognition.

Conclusions:

• Cognitive science should acknowledge its deep roots in literacy.
• The concept of the phoneme is a product of literate cognitive processes.
• Understanding literacy's role is essential for a comprehensive view of cognition and language.