Abstract

This study was conducted to examine whether the effect of the first syllable token frequency in visual recognition of Korean predicate Eojeol is similarly reported as noun Eojeol recognition. A total of 151 tri-syllabic Eojeols and 150 quad-syllabic Eojeols were used in lexical decision task. The linear mixed-effect model included variables of the first syllable token frequency, stem frequency, and Eojeol frequency. The analysis results showed a significant facilitative effect of the first syllable token frequency in tri-syllabic Eojeols, as well as a significant effect of Eojeol frequency. However, in quad-syllabic Eojeols, the effect of the first syllable token frequency was not significant, while only stem frequency showed a significant facilitative effect. These results partially support the notion that the facilitative effect of the first syllable token frequency is not restricted to specific parts of speech. Additionally, it suggests that the influence of the first syllable may vary depending on the level of morphological changes in predicate Eojeol.