研究题目： Syllables constitute proximate units for Mandarin speakers: Electrophysiological evidence from a masked priming task.

研究人：Qingfang Zhang，Markus F Damian.

内容简介：Languages may differ regarding the primary mental unit of phonological encoding in spoken production, with models of speakers of Indo‐European languages generally assuming a central role for phonemes, but spoken Chinese production potentially attributing a more prominent role to syllables. In the present study, native Mandarin Chinese speakers named objects that were preceded by briefly presented and masked prime words, which were form related and either matched or mismatched concerning their syllabic structure, or were unrelated. Behavioral results showed a previously reported interaction between prime and target syllable type. Concurrently recorded EEG also exhibited this interaction and further revealed that syllable overlap modulated ERPs mainly in the time window of 300–400 ms after picture onset. By contrast, phonemic overlap modulated ERPs from 500 ms to 600 ms. This pattern might suggest that speakers retrieved syllables before phonemes and strengthens the claim that for Chinese individuals syllables constitute primary functional representations (“proximate units”). The proximate units principle assumes that languages may differ regarding the primary mental unit of phonological encoding in spoken production. Which representations (syllables or phonemes) constitute functional units for Chinese speakers is controversial. Our findings suggest that speakers retrieved syllables before phonemes, and strengthen the claim that, for Chinese individuals, syllables constitute primary functional representations (“proximate units”).

相关链接：https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330490386_Syllables_constitute_proximate_units_for_Mandarin_speakers_Electrophysiological_evidence_from_a_masked_priming_task