Perception of complex coda clusters and the role of the SSP

Modern Persian permits coda clusters, many of which violate the Sonority Sequencing Principle. In a syllable counting task, Persian speakers consistently perceived clusters in CVCC target items as monosyllabic, whereas English speakers generally perceived clusters existing in English as monosyllabic but those not existing in English as bi-syllabic. Moreover, the latter were perceived as monosyllabic more frequently if they adhered to the SSP than if they did not. In a follow-up experiment, French speakers performed a similar task, related to the clusters of that language. It is anticipated that the French speakers will exhibit similar perceptual behavior demonstrating the influence of the native language when the cluster exists in French, and the influence of the SSP if it does not.