Properties of Phonological Markers That Affect the Acquisition of Gender-Like Subclasses

Many natural languages contain gender subclasses. Although membership in these classes may appear arbitrary, there are actually a variety of linguistic cues that indicate subclass membership. In three experiments using artificial languages, we manipulated properties of phonological markers and examined what conditions most easily allow adults to generalize subclass knowledge. Results suggest that generalization only occurs when some studied items are systematically marked and the process consists of two components. One component involves making a link between the phonological markers and the indicators (e.g., definite and indefinite articles) of subclass membership. This allows generalization to new words containing markers. This generalization is facilitated when markers are of high perceptual salience, high frequency, or in initial position. A second component involves linking indicators within a subclass to each other. This allows correct generalization to unmarked items if at least one subclass indicator is known. This second type of generalization may be facilitated when memory load is low, such as when subclass membership is indicated by highly salient and redundant markers.