Phonemic representations in speech perception and production: Recalibration by reading acquisition

Project Information

ReadCalibration

Grant agreement ID: 819093

DOI

10.3030/819093

Project closed

EC signature date 18 February 2019

Start date 1 October 2019

End date 30 September 2025

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)

Total cost

€ 1 875 000,00

EU contribution

€ 1 875 000,00

Coordinated by

BCBL BASQUE CENTER ON COGNITION BRAIN AND LANGUAGE
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 4 - ReadCalibration (Phonemic representations in speech perception and production: Recalibration by readingacquisition)

Reporting period: 2024-04-01 to 2025-09-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The main goal of the present research project was to explore how and to which extend the way we produce and perceive speech sounds is influenced by orthography (i.e. the spelling of those sounds). We aimed to show that speech sound representations differ for consistent sounds (i.e. sounds that can be spelled with only one possible letter) and inconsistent sounds (i.e. sounds that can be spelled in several different ways within a language). We aimed to reveal this incidence of orthography on speech processing at the level of perception and production of sounds, words and newly acquired words. Finally, we aimed at exploring the complex cross-linguistic phonology-orthography relationship in early bilinguals (acquiring two phonological systems before learning orthography), and in late bilinguals acquiring novel sounds and/or words. We aimed to show that speech sound perception and production in a novel language is affected by the orthographic code of the native language, and vice versa, thus revealing a complex interplay between languages and their associated phonology and orthography at play during novel language acquisition. Those aims were important at the theoretical level, to constrain models of speech perception and production to the incidence of orthography. They were also of high relevance at the pragmatic level, giving some clues on how to adapt and improve second language learning.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

During the development of the project, we demonstrated through a series of behavioral experiments that speech sound perception and production are indeed affected by orthography: Inconsistent sounds (isolated or embedded into words) are perceived and produced differently than consistent sounds, both in children and adults.
We also showed by means of several studies on bilingualism that the orthographic codes of the native and novel language interact during speech sound and word perception and production in each of those languages. Interestingly, we observed that even in a native language, a given speech sound is produced differently depending on its spelling.
Those results are important for models on language perception and production, language/reading acquisition and strategies for language teaching.
The main conclusion of the action is that speech sounds and their corresponding orthography interact in a given language and also across languages. We gathered an important piece of evidence on this matter, being now useful for developers of models on language perception and production, and showing those models should take orthography into account.
To summarize, we conclude from this project that the way we produce and perceive speech sounds in a given language depends on its consistency, on its spelling in a given word, on the orthographic code(s) of the other language(s) ones know, and on our reading and hearing skills.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The main goal of the project was to provide a clear picture of the interactions between speech sounds and their corresponding orthography in a given language, and across languages. We demonstrated that models on language perception and production should take orthography into account, showing that the way we produce and perceive speech sounds in a given language depend on its consistency, on its spelling in a given word, on the orthographic code(s) of the other language(s) ones know, and on our reading and hearing skills.

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