The Impact of Orthography on Lexical Access: The Case of Capitalization and Word Category Information in L1 and L2 German
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| Title: | The Impact of Orthography on Lexical Access: The Case of Capitalization and Word Category Information in L1 and L2 German |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Opitz, Andreas (ORCID |
| Source: | Studies in Second Language Acquisition. Sep 2022 44(4):1194-1209. |
| Availability: | Cambridge University Press. 100 Brook Hill Drive, West Nyack, NY 10994. Tel: 800-872-7423; Tel: 845-353-7500; Fax: 845-353-4141; e-mail: subscriptions_newyork@cambridge.org; Web site: https://www.cambridge.org/core/what-we-publish/journals |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 16 |
| Publication Date: | 2022 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Orthographic Symbols, German, Cues, Priming, Morphology (Languages), Writing Skills, Nouns, Grammar, Ambiguity (Semantics), Form Classes (Languages), Language Processing |
| DOI: | 10.1017/S0272263121000711 |
| ISSN: | 0272-2631 1470-1545 |
| Abstract: | Previous research has shown that orthographic marking may have a function beyond identifying orthographic word forms. In two visual priming experiments with native speakers and advanced learners of German (Czech natives) we tested the hypothesis that orthography can convey word-class cues comparable to morphological marking. We examined the effect of initial letter capitalization of nouns (a specific property of German orthography) on the processing of five homonymous and grammatically ambiguous forms. Both populations showed the same pattern of results: deverbal nouns (conversions) patterned together with countable nouns while in a previous study (with eliminated orthographic word-class cues) they patterned together with infinitives. Together, findings suggest that orthographic cues can trigger word-class-specific lexical retrieval/access. They also suggest a lexical entry structure in which conversion nouns, infinitives, and inflected verbal forms share a category-neutral parent node and that specified subnodes are accessed only when specifying cues are available and/or necessary for processing. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2022 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1347746 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Previous research has shown that orthographic marking may have a function beyond identifying orthographic word forms. In two visual priming experiments with native speakers and advanced learners of German (Czech natives) we tested the hypothesis that orthography can convey word-class cues comparable to morphological marking. We examined the effect of initial letter capitalization of nouns (a specific property of German orthography) on the processing of five homonymous and grammatically ambiguous forms. Both populations showed the same pattern of results: deverbal nouns (conversions) patterned together with countable nouns while in a previous study (with eliminated orthographic word-class cues) they patterned together with infinitives. Together, findings suggest that orthographic cues can trigger word-class-specific lexical retrieval/access. They also suggest a lexical entry structure in which conversion nouns, infinitives, and inflected verbal forms share a category-neutral parent node and that specified subnodes are accessed only when specifying cues are available and/or necessary for processing. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0272-2631 1470-1545 |
| DOI: | 10.1017/S0272263121000711 |
