Periodic Reporting for period 3 - ReadCalibration (Phonemic representations in speech perception and production: Recalibration by readingacquisition)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2022-10-01 al 2024-03-31
The main goal of the present research project is 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 aim 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 aim to reveal this incidence of orthography on speech processing at the level of perception and production of sounds, words and newly acquired words. Furthermore, we aim to explore how this phonology-orthography interplay develops in people with impairments in orthography acquisition (i.e. dyslexic patients) and impairments in phonology acquisition (i.e. patients with hearing impairments). Finally, we aim 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 aim 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.
During the first period 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.
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 final goal of the project is to provide a clear picture of the interactions between speech sounds and their corresponding orthography in a given language, and across languages. We will show how 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 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.