Phonological markedness constraints on reading

描述(申请人提供)：这项拟议的研究有两个目的：它调查语音能力的性质，并考察它在阅读技能中的作用。为了解决语音能力的本质，我们确定了三组核心语音偏好，语言分析表明这些偏好是普遍的。这项拟议的研究考察了说话者是否表现出这种偏好，调查了他们出现所需的经验的性质(包括语言输入的统计特性及其在声学和发音细节上的丰富性)，并跟踪他们在婴儿期的发展。该提案的第二个目标是考察语音能力在阅读技能中的作用。虽然众所周知，阅读技能取决于语音加工，但语音能力在阅读中的确切作用还没有被很好地理解：语言能力的作用是否仅限于阅读习得的早期阶段(即音素意识的发展)，或者语言能力在熟练阅读中是否在线地与印刷体的表征相互作用？为了解决这个问题，本研究考察了无声阅读中的表征是否受到语音标记偏好的制约，并将其结构与口语表征进行了比较。核心音位制约的性质是语言学理论和心理语言学研究的核心问题。确定核心语音偏好的范围及其从经验中学习的能力有助于研究大脑的可塑性，并阐明高阶认知的遗传性，这些问题是认知神经科学和发展心理生物学的前沿问题。虽然目前的研究并没有专门针对阅读障碍，但其结果可能与阅读障碍的诊断和理解有关。鉴于阅读障碍在人群中的高发病率，阅读技能和阅读障碍的研究也对人类健康具有直接的影响。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The proposed research has two aims: It investigates the nature of phonological competence and examines its role in reading skill. To address the nature of phonological competence, we identify three sets of core phonological preferences that linguistic analysis suggests are universal. The proposed research examines whether speakers exhibit such preferences, investigates the nature of experience required for their emergence (including the statistical properties of linguistic input and its richness in acoustic and articulatory detail), and tracks their developmental onset in infancy. The second goal of the proposal is to examine the role of phonological competence in reading skill. Although it is well known that reading skilled hinges on phonological processing, the precise role of phonological competence in reading is not well-understood: Is the role of linguistic competence limited to early stage of reading acquisition (i.e., the development of phonemic awareness) or does linguistic competence interacts on-line in the representation of print in skilled reading? To address this question, the proposed research examines whether the representation assembled in silent reading is constrained by phonological markedness preferences and compares their structure to the representation of spoken language. The nature of core phonological constraints is a question that is central for linguistic theory and psycholinguistic research. Identifying the scope of core phonological preferences and their learnability from experience informs the study brain plasticity and illuminates the heritability of higher-order cognition, issues that are at the forefront of cognitive neuroscience and developmental psychobiology. Although the present research does not specifically address dyslexia, its outcomes are potentially relevant for the diagnosis an understanding of this reading disorder. In view of the high incidence rate of dyslexia in the population, the study of reading skill and reading disabilities also carries direct implications for human health.