Asymmetries in the processing of affixed words in Bengali

Bibliographic Data

ID2999639
AuthorsHilary Suzanne Zinsmeyer Wynne (0000-0002-7072-988X), Sandra Kotzor (0000-0003-0112-1034), Beinan Zhou, Swetlana Schuster (0000-0003-2009-3278), Aditi Lahiri (0000-0002-0033-9106)
Year2021
Volume97
Issue3
Pages599-628
Publication date2021-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueLanguage (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0097-8507 • E-ISSN: 1535-0665
PublisherProject MUSE (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1353/lan.2021.0048
OpenAlexW3204359254
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited1

Prefixes and suffixes display distinctive linguistic behaviors. Not only does a crosslinguistic asymmetry exist between them in terms of structural properties, combinatorial constraints, and frequency, but there is also extensive evidence that prefixes and suffixes are processed differently. To further investigate the differences in how prefixes and suffixes are processed, we conducted five crossmodal priming experiments in Bengali, a language rich in derivational morphology. Although all combinations of stems, prefixes, and suffixes provided facilitation, we found that stems primed related prefixed forms to a greater degree than they primed related suffixed forms. Furthermore, morphologically related prefixed forms primed other prefixed forms more than suffixed forms primed related suffixed forms. On the basis of these findings, we propose that the asymmetry in how prefixes and suffixes are processed is due not only to differences in perception, reading, and inhibition from the phonological cohort, but also to the salience of the morpheme boundaries in affixed word representations during recognition

Bengali · Linguistics · Natural language processing · Artificial Intelligence · Computer Science · Language Development and Disorders · Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism · Philosophy · Reading and Literacy Development

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