Abstract
Two experiments were conducted to investigate the time course of semantic and phonological access in naming kanji and kana words. Japanese adults quickly named single words written in kanji and the same words written in kana in one session, and translated them into English in another session. In both experiments using nouns (Experiment 1) and verbs (Experiment 2), words were named faster in kana than in kanji but were translated faster in kanji than in kana. These findings were interpreted to suggest that kana words are closer to phonology while kanji words are closer to meaning. The optimum solutions obtained by the simplex method showed that semantic access takes place 10 to 19 msec earlier in kanji words than in kana words, whereas phonological access takes place 27 to 31 msec earlier in kana words than in kanji words. A possible difference between kanji nouns and verbs is briefly discussed in terms of phonological access time.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Feldman, L.B. and Turvey, M.T. (1980). Words written in kana are named faster than the same words written in kanji, Language and Speech 23: 141–147.
Glicksman, A.M. (1963). An introduction to linear programming and the theory of games. New York: John Wiley and Sons.
Goryo, K. (1987). Yomu to iu koto [On reading]. Tokyo: Tokyo Daigaku Press.
Hillis, A. and Caramazza, A. (1991). Mechanisms for accessing lexical representations for
output: Evidence from a category-specific semantic deficit, Brain and Language 40: 106–144.
Kaiho, H. and Nomura, M. (1983). Kanji joho shori no shinrigaku [A psychology of information processing of kanji]. Tokyo: Kyoiku Shuppan.
Leong, C.K., Cheng, P.W. and Mulcahy, R. (1987). Automatic processing of morphemic orthography by mature readers, Language and Speech 30: 81–197.
Nomura, M. (1981). Kanji, kana kyoki go no joho shori: Yomi ni oyobosu data suishin gata shori to gainen suishin gata shori no koka [The information processing of kanji, kana script: The effects of data-driven and conceptually driven processing of reading], Japanese Journal of Psychology 51: 327–334.
Paradis, M., Hagiwara, H. and Hildebrandt, N. (1985). Neurolinguistic aspects of the Japanese writing system. Tokyo: Academic Press.
Perfetti, C.A., Zhang, S. and Berent, I. (1992). Reading in English and Chinese: Evidence for `universal’ phonological principle. In R. Frost and L. Katz (eds.), Orthography, phonology, morphology, and meaning (pp. 227–248 ). Amsterdam: North-Holland.
Potter, M.C., So, K., von Eckart, B. and Feldman, L.B. (1984). Lexical and conceptual representation in beginning and proficient bilinguals, Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior 23: 23–38.
Saito, H. (1981). Kanji to kana no yomi ni okeru keitai teki hugoka oyobi on-in teki hugoka no kento [Use of graphic and phonological encoding in reading kanji and kana], Japanese Journal of Psychology 52: 266–273.
Taylor, I. and Taylor, M.M. (1983). The psychology of reading. New York: Academic Press.
Wydell, T.N., Patterson, K.E. and Humphreys, G.W. (1993). Phonologically mediated access to meaning for kanji: Is a rows still a rose in Japanese kanji? Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition 19: 491–514.
Yamada, J. (1992). Why are kana words named faster than kanji words? Brain and Language 43: 682–693.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1998 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Yamada, J. (1998). The time course of semantic and phonological access in naming kanji and kana words. In: Leong, C.K., Tamaoka, K. (eds) Cognitive Processing of the Chinese and the Japanese Languages. Neuropsychology and Cognition, vol 14. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-9161-4_13
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-9161-4_13
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-90-481-5140-0
Online ISBN: 978-94-015-9161-4
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive