Phonotactic learning
• starts early
• remains flexible
• affects speech processing
e.g., PLok vs PTak in label learning (e.g., MacKenzie et al., 2012)
3
How are phonotactics represented?
dap vs dah
syllable-level
P often ends syllables H does not
A & P often co-occur A & H do not
co-occurrences
4
nAPAPpleadAPtcAPableimPAct
naPcuPsleePnaPkinrecePtion
How are phonotactics represented?
dap vs dah
syllable-level
P often ends syllables H does not
syllable
coda a pd
co-occurrences
a pd
5
A & P often co-occur A & H do not
How are phonotactics represented?
✓ ouTPut ✓
(✗) PermiT ✓ (✓) sePTic ✗
c v C.C v c
baT.Pev
6
syllable
onset P e v
syllable
coda b a T .
co-occurrences
syllable-level
cluster
P e vb a T
7
Support for syllable-level representation from artificial languages
onset coda
syllable syllable
(Bernard & Onishi, 2013)
b a F . P e v
t i D . Z e k
t u F . Z e b
t u Z . F e bvs.
train:
test:
coda coda
syllable syllable
(e.g., Dell et al., 2000)
some consonants are better syllable codas than others
from natural language
f a N G f a H
k e N G
k e Hvs.
8
Support for co-occurence representation
(e.g., Richtsmeier et al., 2009)
within words, some consonant co-occurrences are more
frequent than others
t u F P e b
t u F Z e bvs.
test:
(Bernard & Onishi, 2013)
from artificial languages from natural language
b o P K e mvs.
co-occur
b a F P e v
t i D Z e k
train:
__KT__ __PK__
b o K T e m
syllable-level co-occurrences syllable
onset
syllable
coda b a F . P e v
9
P is an onset
✗
✓ P _ _ _ _ P
✓
✗ _ _ FP _ _ _ _ FD_ _
cluster
b a F P e v
(e.g., Bernard, 2015)
F and P co-occur
syllable-level co-occurrences
10
adults ✓ adults ✓
syllable
onset
syllable
coda b a F . P e v
cluster
b a F P e v
12
Key Manipulation
• Train with medial consonants: • restricted syllable positions
onsets codas unrestricted
P , Z F , D b , k , t , v
CVCsyllable
onset (start)
coda (end)
13
• Train with medial consonants: • restricted syllable positions
• restricted cluster pairings
Key Manipulation
clusters
FP , DZ
onsets codas unrestricted
P , Z F , D b , k , t , v
14
Key Manipulation
• Train with medial consonants: • restricted syllable positions
• restricted cluster pairings
baF.Pev tiD.Zek
15
Key Manipulation
• Test in medial positions comparing: • same clusters
• different clusters
• Train with medial consonants: • restricted syllable positions
• restricted cluster pairings
baF.Pev tiD.Zek
vuF.Pet teD.Zev
vuF.Zet teD.Pev
baF.Pevvib.ket
kut.veb tiD.ZekbaF.Pev
…vib.kettiD.Zek
TRAINING (presented 3x)
48 training items 24 filler items
TEST repeating:
8 training items 8 filler items novel: 8 same items 8 different items
16
experimenter
child
YES , we heard it when playing
baF.Pevtrial 1
YES , we heard it when playing
vuF.Pet
trial 2
YES , we heard it when playing
vuF.Zet
trial 3
YES , we heard it when playing
vib.ket
trial 4
FALSE
recognition
0.00
0.25
0.50
0.75
1.00
Prop
ortio
n Ye
s Res
pons
es
.
correct
recognition FALSE
recognition correct
recognition FALSE
recognition
n = 21
*
*
n = 24
5-year-olds: all items
17
Experiment 1 Ex 2.2- manipulating syllable-position
(new word position)
repeating novel repeating novel
(preliminary data)
0.00
0.25
0.50
0.75
1.00
Prop
ortio
n Ye
s Res
pons
es
.
n.s.
different cluster
vuF.Zet
same cluster
vuF.Petn = 21
5-year-olds: novel items
*
n = 24
different Fet.vuZ
same
Zet.vuF
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Ex 2.2- manipulating syllable-position
(new word position)
baF.Pev tiD.Zek
Experiment 1
(preliminary data)
syllable-level syllable
onset
syllable
coda b a F . P e v
co-occurrences
cluster
b a F P e v
19
adults ✓ adults ✓ 5yos (✗) Ex 1
21
Key Manipulation
• Test in EDGE positions comparing: • same syllable positions
• different syllable positions
• Train with medial consonants: • restricted syllable positions
• restricted cluster pairings
baF.Pev tiD.Zek
Zet.vuF Pev.teDFet.vuZ Dev.teP
0.00
0.25
0.50
0.75
1.00
Prop
ortio
n Ye
s Res
pons
es
.
correct
recognition FALSE
recognition correct
recognition FALSE
recognition
n = 21
*
*
n = 24
5-year-olds: all items
22
Experiment 2
repeating novel repeating novel
Experiment 1
(preliminary data)
0.00
0.25
0.50
0.75
1.00
Prop
ortio
n Ye
s Res
pons
es
.
n.s.
n = 21
5-year-olds: novel items baF.Pev tiD.Zek
*
n = 24
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Experiment 1 Experiment 2
different cluster vuF.Zet
same cluster
vuF.Pet
different syllable-position Fet.vuZ
same syllable- position Zet.vuF
(preliminary data)
syllable-level syllable
onset
syllable
coda b a F . P e v
co-occurrences
cluster
b a F P e v
24
task sensitivity? some orthography?
adults ✓ 5yos ✓ Ex 2
adults ✓ 5yos (✗) Ex 1
baF.Pevvib.ket
kut.veb tiD.ZekbaF.Pev
…vib.kettiD.Zek
TRAINING (presented 3x)
48 training items 24 filler items
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kiF.PebvaD.Zek…
parent
baby in saucer
parent
baby
(Head Turn Preference Paradigm; e.g., Kemler Nelson et al., 1995)
TEST (novel)
3 same trials 3 different trials
27
Key Manipulation
• Test in medial positions comparing: • same clusters
• different clusters
• Train with medial consonants: • restricted syllable positions
• restricted cluster pairings
baF.Pev tiD.Zek
vuF.Pet teD.Zev
vuF.Zet teD.Pev
0.0
2.0
4.0
6.0
8.0
10.0
Orie
ntat
ion
time
(sec
)
.
n.s.
n =23
*
n =24
different Fet.vuZ
same Zet.vuF
11-month-olds: novel items baF.Pev tiD.Zek
28
Ex 2.4- manipulating syllable-position
(new word position)
Experiment 3
different cluster vuF.Zet
same cluster
vuF.Pet
(preliminary data)
30
Key Manipulation Experiment 4
• Test in EDGE positions comparing: • same syllable positions
• different syllable positions
• Train with medial consonants: • restricted syllable positions
• restricted cluster pairings
baF.Pev tiD.Zek
Zet.vuF Pev.teDFet.vuZ Dev.teP
0.0
2.0
4.0
6.0
8.0
10.0
Orie
ntat
ion
time
(sec
)
.
n.s.
n =23
*
n =24
11-month-olds: novel items
31
baF.Pev tiD.Zek
Experiment 3 Experiment 4
different cluster vuF.Zet
same cluster
vuF.Pet
different syllable-position Fet.vuZ
same syllable- position Zet.vuF
(preliminary data)
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co-occurrences
cluster
b a F P e v
syllable-level syllable
onset
syllable
coda b a F . P e v
adults ✓ 5yos ✓ Ex 2
11mos ✓ Ex 4
adults ✓ 5yos (✗) Ex 1
11mos (✗) Ex 3
Summary Syllable-level regularities • learned with limited, or no orthography • learned from variable context (33% filler items)
• spontaneously transferred to new word positions
Co-occurrence regularities • no evidence for tracking by children/infants
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Word-recognition task • can be used with 5-year-olds • results converge with headturn preference results • permits multiple comparisons
• repeating vs novel • same vs different
Summary
34
How are phonotactics represented?
dap vs dah
P often ends syllables H does not syllable
coda c u P
syllable
coda
syllable
r e c e P t i o n
syllable
n a P k i n
syllable
coda
syllable
syllable
coda s l e e P
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