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Article published In: Words & Constructions: Language complexity in linguistics and psychology
Edited by Juhani Järvikivi, Pirita Pyykkönen-Klauck and Matti Laine
[The Mental Lexicon 9:2] 2014
► pp. 170–195

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The experimental investigation of syllable structure

 | University of Alberta
 | Brigham Young University
Published online: 21 November 2014
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/ml.9.2.02der
This paper is a selective state-of-the-art report on a variety of issues related to the adoption of experimental methods to the study of syllable structure. The rationale for an experimental approach is presented in the first section, followed by a brief section on of some of the main theoretical issues involved. Section three then presents a recap of the most important empirical findings, focusing on the key factors involved, rather than the details of the specific results. Section four then presents an illustrative case where the experimental results seem to conflict, along with discussion of some of the factors that are likely responsible for this. Finally, in the last section, an appeal is made for a deeper theoretical perspective than the one that has guided research in this area heretofore.
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