What do pseudowords tell us about word processing? An overview
This article provides an overview of the use of pseudowords—letter strings that resemble real words by adhering to phonotactic and orthotactic rules (e. g., fambo follows the rules of English phonology and orthography, but it does not have an actual meaning)—in written word processing research, with...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Language Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/flang.2025.1504770/full |
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| author | Celia Martínez-Tomás Celia Martínez-Tomás Ana Baciero Ana Baciero Miguel Lázaro José A. Hinojosa José A. Hinojosa José A. Hinojosa |
| author_facet | Celia Martínez-Tomás Celia Martínez-Tomás Ana Baciero Ana Baciero Miguel Lázaro José A. Hinojosa José A. Hinojosa José A. Hinojosa |
| author_sort | Celia Martínez-Tomás |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article provides an overview of the use of pseudowords—letter strings that resemble real words by adhering to phonotactic and orthotactic rules (e. g., fambo follows the rules of English phonology and orthography, but it does not have an actual meaning)—in written word processing research, with a focus on readers in alphabetic languages. We review how pseudowords have been used in research to isolate specific features of words to examine the cognitive mechanisms underlying various aspects of their processing, including orthographic, phonological decoding, lexical-semantic, and syntactic components, as well as to the way those empirical observations have shaped theories and models of word recognition. The overview also considers their broader applications, such as in studying non-alphabetic scripts, speech processing, and language disorders like dyslexia. By providing a focused synthesis of empirical findings, this article underscores the critical insights that research using pseudowords offers into the interconnected nature of cognitive mechanisms in language processing. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-964897910ca6499980897a5303e55b3f |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2813-4605 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Language Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-964897910ca6499980897a5303e55b3f2025-01-27T06:40:37ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Language Sciences2813-46052025-01-01410.3389/flang.2025.15047701504770What do pseudowords tell us about word processing? An overviewCelia Martínez-Tomás0Celia Martínez-Tomás1Ana Baciero2Ana Baciero3Miguel Lázaro4José A. Hinojosa5José A. Hinojosa6José A. Hinojosa7Departamento de Psicología Experimental, Procesos Cognitivos y Logopedia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, SpainInstituto Pluridisciplinar, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, SpainDepartamento de Psicología Experimental, Procesos Cognitivos y Logopedia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, SpainInstituto Pluridisciplinar, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, SpainDepartamento de Psicología Experimental, Procesos Cognitivos y Logopedia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, SpainDepartamento de Psicología Experimental, Procesos Cognitivos y Logopedia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, SpainInstituto Pluridisciplinar, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, SpainCentro de Investigación Nebrija en Cognición (CINC), Universidad Nebrija, Madrid, SpainThis article provides an overview of the use of pseudowords—letter strings that resemble real words by adhering to phonotactic and orthotactic rules (e. g., fambo follows the rules of English phonology and orthography, but it does not have an actual meaning)—in written word processing research, with a focus on readers in alphabetic languages. We review how pseudowords have been used in research to isolate specific features of words to examine the cognitive mechanisms underlying various aspects of their processing, including orthographic, phonological decoding, lexical-semantic, and syntactic components, as well as to the way those empirical observations have shaped theories and models of word recognition. The overview also considers their broader applications, such as in studying non-alphabetic scripts, speech processing, and language disorders like dyslexia. By providing a focused synthesis of empirical findings, this article underscores the critical insights that research using pseudowords offers into the interconnected nature of cognitive mechanisms in language processing.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/flang.2025.1504770/fullpseudowordsword recognitionorthographyprint-to-soundsemanticssyntax |
| spellingShingle | Celia Martínez-Tomás Celia Martínez-Tomás Ana Baciero Ana Baciero Miguel Lázaro José A. Hinojosa José A. Hinojosa José A. Hinojosa What do pseudowords tell us about word processing? An overview Frontiers in Language Sciences pseudowords word recognition orthography print-to-sound semantics syntax |
| title | What do pseudowords tell us about word processing? An overview |
| title_full | What do pseudowords tell us about word processing? An overview |
| title_fullStr | What do pseudowords tell us about word processing? An overview |
| title_full_unstemmed | What do pseudowords tell us about word processing? An overview |
| title_short | What do pseudowords tell us about word processing? An overview |
| title_sort | what do pseudowords tell us about word processing an overview |
| topic | pseudowords word recognition orthography print-to-sound semantics syntax |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/flang.2025.1504770/full |
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