Abstract

This research investigated the influence of syllables at each position in Korean words on visual word recognition. A total of 406 noun words (203 trisyllabic and 203 quad-syllabic) were presented in a visual lexical decision task. Linear mixed-effects models were employed, with token frequency of syllables at each position, root frequency, word frequency, and suffix frequency as predictor variables. The analysis revealed a significant facilitative effect of the token frequency of the first syllable on word recognition for both trisyllabic and quad-syllabic words. Additionally, word frequency had a significant effect on trisyllabic words, while root frequency, fourth syllable frequency, and suffix frequency showed significant effects on quad-syllabic words. The facilitating effect of the token frequency of the first syllable was discussed in relation to orthographic and phonological representation of Korean syllables. Furthermore, the divergent results based on word length were discussed from the perspective of the hybrid processing hypothesis of multimorphemic words.