The cluella study: Optimal segmentation and voicing for oral blending

Abstract

Using a within-subjects design, researchers compared 183 kindergartners' ability to blend words segmented in four different ways. On digitized video, a researcher portraying the fictitious Cluella pronounced 40 consonant-vowel- consonant words for participants to blend. She gave 10 words in phoneme segments with a loud schwa added to consonants, 10 in phoneme segments minimizing any schwa voicing, 10 in onset-rime chunks, and 10 in body-coda chunks. Participants were significantly more successful blending body-coda chunks than blending onset-rime chunks. They also were significantly more successful blending phonemes with added schwa than without. We apply these results to suggest procedures for providing optimal scaffolds for helping children learn to identify words. © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.