Investigating the Influence of Phonotactic Probability on Spoken Word Recognition in Arabic

Abstract

Evidence from English suggests that high phonotactic probability exerts facilitative effects on spoken word recognition. However, when lexical representations are activated in a Lexical Decision task, a reversed pattern of results is observed. That is, high phonotactic probability nonwords produce longer reaction times. In the present research, the influence of phonotactic probability on spoken word recognition in Arabic was examined using an auditory Lexical Decision task. In contrast to clear phonotactic probability effects in English, no effects of phonotactic probability on spoken word recognition in Arabic have been observed. We posit that some characteristics in Arabic morphology can impose processing demands that can diminish effects of phonotactic probability.