Vigario, M. , Butler, J. , Severino, C. & Frota, S.
Lisbon Baby Lab, Centro de Linguistica, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
Recent work has shown that words with a frequent phonotactic structure are learned easily and earlier than words with lower phonotactic probability. The present study examines whether and how relative phonotactic frequency (high/low probability pseudowords-HP/LP) and phonological grammar (illegal sequences-IS) impact infant word learning. Using an eye-tracking paradigm, HP and LP were paired with a novel object in the training phase, where an unlabeled object also appeared. The test phase included trials with the trained target, and a novel target (HP, LP, or IS - 16 trials). All stimuli were C1VC2V disyllables with high (HP) or low frequency Cs (LP), or an illegal C1 (IS). Vowels across conditions were the same.
Results revealed that 18-month-old European Portuguese-learning infants demonstrated a clear preference for the object paired with a HP target whether they heard the trained HP, a novel HP, or an IS. By contrast, if trained with a LP, no preference emerged when the trained LP, a novel LP, or an IS was heard. These findings point to a learning effect in the trained HP condition only, with LP being treated as a kind of IS, suggesting that phonotactic frequency guides infants' early knowledge of the phonological grammar of words.