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Pronunciation of Vowel Digraphs in Nonwords: A Replication and Extension
Eda Naz Gokdemir, Margaret Burkhart, Laurel Semprebon1
1Reading Brains Lab, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, USA.
Language and Speech
|September 30, 2024
Summary
Individual reading skills like phonological memory and spelling knowledge influence how adults pronounce ambiguous vowel digraphs in new words. This affects reading and pronunciation in young adults.
Area of Science:
- Psycholinguistics
- Cognitive Psychology
- Reading Science
Background:
- Vowel digraph pronunciation in English is inconsistent (e.g., 'ea' in bread, beach, break).
- Ambiguous vowel digraphs in nonwords present challenges for readers.
- Understanding factors influencing nonword pronunciation is crucial for reading models.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate participant-level effects on the pronunciation of ambiguous vowel digraphs in nonwords.
- To examine the relationship between reading-related skills and pronunciation choices.
- To determine if individual differences predict pronunciation patterns in young adults.
Main Methods:
- 80 young adults completed written and spoken tasks using standardized nonword stimuli.
- Six standardized test measures assessed reading-related skills (phonological memory, spelling knowledge, word reading efficiency, etc.).
- Generalized linear mixed-effects models analyzed pronunciation choices and skill contributions.
Main Results:
- Previously reported patterns of preferred nonword pronunciations were replicated in both written and spoken tasks.
- Individual differences in phonological memory, spelling knowledge, and word reading efficiency significantly predicted pronunciation choice.
- These reading skills contributed to pronunciation choice beyond item-level effects.
Conclusions:
- Specific reading-related skills significantly influence how fluent adult readers pronounce ambiguous vowel digraphs in nonwords.
- Findings support models where intralexical context and interlexical knowledge interact with reading skills.
- Individual differences in cognitive and linguistic abilities play a key role in resolving pronunciation ambiguity.
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