Spelling‐to‐sound effects in single‐word reading
Gordon D. A. Brown, Frances L. Watson · British Journal of Psychology · 1994
Computational modelling of word‐naming processes has suggested that the frequency of spelling‐to‐sound correspondence facilitates print‐to‐sound translation time and has given rise to predictions that are supported by empirical data (Brown, 1987 a ). This contrasts with earlier claims that regularity is the only spelling‐to‐sound correspondence attribute that determines word‐naming time. Here we report further evidence for the effects of the frequency of spelling‐to‐sound correspondences on word‐naming latency. Experiment 1 excludes alternative, orthographic neighbourhood interpretations of the putative spelling‐to‐sound effects. Experiment 2 shows that a word's number of rhymes does not affect naming latency for that word, thus excluding explanations in terms of output phonology. Experiment 3 replicates earlier findings that a word's spelling‐to‐sound enemies, as well as friends, determine naming latency. Thus both the regularity and the frequency of spelling‐to‐sound correspondences influence word‐naming time. The implications for models of oral reading processes are explored.