ABSTRACT

Given that words from the academic layer of English typically carry bound roots (min in diminish) rather than free-standing base words (small in smaller), there is a need to understand the factors that make bound roots more or less accessible for morphological problem-solving unfamiliar words. We investigated the contributions of learner characteristics and morpheme/word characteristics to the morphological problem-solving skill of 87 language minority learners. Participants analyzed 18 morphologically complex, unfamiliar words on a Morphological Analysis Task. Among learner characteristics, results from multilevel logistic models indicated that only English proficiency predicted difficulty. For root characteristics, semantic opaqueness, phonological shift, and orthographic neighborhood size predicted difficulty as expected. Morphological family size also predicted difficulty, but in unexpected ways, with larger family size predicting greater difficulty. Exploratory analyses suggested that family size may interact with other root characteristics to further influence difficulty. Findings hold implications for models of morphological processing and literacy intervention design.

摘要

鉴于从英国的学术层词语通常携带结合的根（分钟在减退），而不是自由站立基字（小于较小的），有必要了解使绑定词根或多或少可用于形态学问题解决陌生单词的因素。我们调查了学习者特征和语素/单词特征对87位少数民族学习者的形态解决问题能力的贡献。参与者在“形态分析任务”上分析了18个形态复杂，不熟悉的单词。在学习者特征中，多级逻辑模型的结果表明，只有英语水平才能预测难度。对于词根特征，语义上的不透明性，语音变迁和拼字法邻域大小预测了预期的困难。形态上的家庭规模也预示了困难，但是以意想不到的方式，更大的家庭规模预示了更大的困难。探索性分析表明，家庭规模可能与其他根系特征相互作用，从而进一步影响困难。研究结果对形态加工和扫盲干预设计模型具有重要意义。