The effect of phonotactics on alternation learning

This study investigates whether alternation learning is facilitated by a matching phonotactic generalization. In series of artificial grammar experiments, English learners were trained on languages evincing categorical vowel harmony alternations across morpheme boundaries. These differed in the degree within stems (disharmonic, semiharmonic, and harmonic), thus support for alternation. Results indicate that was best when supported stem phonotactics (harmonic language; experiment 1). Learners, however, reluctant to extend learned constraint novel unseen (experiments 2 3). Taken together, results are consistent with hypothesis static generalization, but conservative positing absence overt evidence them.