creators_name: Bachoud-Lévi, A.C.
creators_name: Dupoux, E.
creators_name: Cohen, L.
creators_name: Mehler, J.
type: journalp
datestamp: 1998-10-16
lastmod: 2011-03-11 08:54:15
metadata_visibility: show
title: Where is the length effect? A cross-linguistic study.
ispublished: pub
subjects: cog-psy
subjects: psy-ling
full_text_status: public
keywords: speech production, length effect, phonological encoding, articulatory buffer, syllables
abstract: Many models of speech production assume that one cannot begin to articulate a word before all its segmental units are inserted into the articulatory plan. Moreover, some of these models assume that segments are serially inserted from left to right. As a consequence, latencies to name words should increase with word length. In a series of five experiments, however, we showed that the time to name a picture or retrieve a word associated with a symbol is not affected by the length of the word. Experiments 1 and 2 used French materials and participants, while Experiments 3, 4 and 5 were conducted with English materials and participants. These results are discussed in relation to current models of speech production, and previous reports of length effects are reevaluated in light of these findings. We conclude that if words are encoded serially, then articulation can start before an entire phonological word has been encoded.
date: 1998
date_type: published
publication: Journal of Memory and Language
volume: 39
pagerange: 331-346
refereed: TRUE
citation:   Bachoud-Lévi, A.C. and Dupoux, E. and Cohen, L. and Mehler, J.  (1998) Where is the length effect? A cross-linguistic study.  [Journal (Paginated)]     
document_url: http://cogprints.org/748/1/lenprep.ps
document_url: http://cogprints.org/748/5/lenprep.pdf