Perceptual and Motor Skills, 2010, 111, 2, 1-­‐‑13. © Perceptual and Motor Skills 2010 LISTS OF SPANISH SENTENCES WITH EQUIVALENT PREDICTABILITY, PHONETIC CONTENT, LENGTH, AND FREQUENCY OF THE LAST WORD1 TERESA CERVERA JULIO GONZÁLEZ-­‐‑ALVAREZ University of Valencia University Jaume I Summary.—This paper presents a pool of Spanish sentences designed for use ȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱ ȱȱěȱȱ context are relevant. These lists of sentences are divided into six lists of 25 equiva-­‐‑ lent high-­‐‑predictability sentences and six lists of 25 low-­‐‑predictability sentences according to the extent to which the last word can be predicted by the preceding context. These lists were also equivalent in phonetic content, length and frequency of the last word. These lists are intended for use in psycholinguistic research with Spanish-­‐‑speaking listeners. ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ěȱ ȱ ¡ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ words has been the subject of extensive research in cognitive science and ȱǯȱȱȱȱę¢ȱȱȱȱȱ-­‐‑ text favors the recognition of a word compared to words in isolation (Mill-­‐‑ ǰȱ ǰȱǭȱǰȱŗşśŗDzȱĜȱǭȱǰȱŗşŝŚǼǯȱȱ¡ȱȱ¢-­‐‑ tactic and semantic constraints which increase the predictability of the last word in the sentence. ȱȱȱȱ¢ȱȱȱęȱȱȱȱȱ which this question is especially relevant. If the intention of the research-­‐‑ er is to approach everyday communicative situations as much as possible, then sentences are the most appropriate speech stimuli. However, in the ȱȱǰȱ¢ȱȱĴȬȱȱȱ ȱ top-­‐‑down or linguistic information provided by the sentence’s context. ȱ ȱ ȱ ¢ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ĴȬȱ and top-­‐‑down information has been to present to listeners short sentences ȱȱ¡ȱȱȱȱęȱ ǯȱȱȱȱȱ ¢ȱȱȱęȱ ǯȱȱȱȱȱ¡ȱȱȱ-­‐‑ ȱȱȱęȱ ȱȱȱȱ¢ȱȱȱȱȱ correct responses in high-­‐‑predictability sentences with the responses in low-­‐‑predictability sentences, on the assumption that increased contextual ȱȱȱȱĴȱȱȱȱęȱ ȱǻ-­‐‑ ǰȱǰȱǭȱǰȱŗşŝŝǼǯ The evaluation of speech intelligibility is especially important in certain situations such as background noise or with certain types of lis-­‐‑ 1 Address correspondence to Teresa Cervera, Ph.D., Departamento de Psicología Básica, Uni-­‐‑ ȱȱǰȱȱ£ȱŘŗǰȱŚŜŖŗŖȱǰȱȱȱȱǻǯȓǯǼǯ ISSN 0031-­‐‑5125 2 T. CERVERA & J. GONZÁLEZ-­‐‑ALVAREZ ȱ ȱ ȱ ¢ȱ ȱ ǻ¢ȱ ǭȱ ęǰȱ ŗşşŚDzȱ Ȭǰȱ ǰȱ ǭȱ ǰȱ ŗşşśDzȱ Ȭȱ ǭȱ £ǰȱ ŗşşŝDzȱ -­‐‑ ȱǭȱǰȱŗşşşDzȱǰȱǰȱǭȱ £ǰȱŘŖŖŖDzȱęǰȱ ǰȱǭȱ¢ǰȱŘŖŖśDzȱȬǰȱŘŖŖŞǼǯȱȱȱǰȱȱȱ sensory information due to loss of auditory acuity, especially under ad-­‐‑ verse listening conditions involving background noise or voices, can be compensated by top-­‐‑down information provided by the context. With the aim of equating perceptual properties of the sentences, speech materials are constructed to be equivalent in certain relevant characteristics such as ȱȱȱǯȱȱǰȱȱȱȱȱęȱ ȱ or target word must be controlled. Thus, these words must also be equiva-­‐‑ lent in their main characteristics such as length, syntactic category (nouns ȱ¢ȱǼǰȱǰȱǰȱ¢ǰȱ¢ȱȱȱ ǯȱȱ-­‐‑ Ěȱ ȱ ȱ ¢ȱ ȱ Ȭ ȱ ȱ ȱ Ȭ ȱ ȱȱȱȱȱǻŗşŞŗǼȱȱȬȱǻŗşŞŝǼǰȱȱ¢ȱȱ fundamental role in speech perception theories (Forster, 1981; McClelland ǭȱǰȱŗşŞŜDzȱȬǰȱŗşŞŝǼǯȱ In the English language, the speech materials which satisfy all of these ȱȱȱȱǻȱȱȱǼȱȱǻ ǰȱ et alǯǰȱŗşŝŝǼǯȱȱȱǰȱ ȱ¢ȱȱȱȱDZȱȬ-­‐‑ ¢ȱȱ ȱęȱ ȱȱȱ ȱȱ¢ȱȱ ȱ ¡ǰȱ ȱ Ȭ¢ȱ ȱ ȱ ęȱ ȱ ȱȱȱ¢ȱȱ¡ǯȱȱȱęȱ ȱȱȱȱ high-­‐‑ and low-­‐‑predictability sentences. By comparing the recognition per-­‐‑ ȱȱȱȱȱ ȱ¢ȱȱǰȱȱěȱ of auditory acuity and cognitive processing, expressed as capability of us-­‐‑ ȱȱ¡ȱȱ£ȱȱęȱ ǰȱȱȱǯȱȱ¢ȱȱ testing is especially important for elderly listeners because they frequent-­‐‑ ¢ȱȱ ȱȬȱȱ¢ȱ¢ȱǻ¢Ǽȱǰȱ ȱȱǰȱȬȱȱȱǻĴȱȱ ǰȱ-­‐‑ ǰȱȱǰȱŗşŞŞǼǯȱĴȱȱȱȬȱȱȱ low-­‐‑predictability sentences is expected to be independent of the hearing ȱȱȱǯȱǰȱȱȱȱěȱȱǰȱȱę-­‐‑ ciencies in cognitive processing might be suspected. ȱěȱȱ¡ȱȱȱȱȱȱ ȱȱȱ types of listeners also is a relevant issue. One example would be nonna-­‐‑ tive listeners ȱěȱȱȱȱę¢ǯȱ-­‐‑ ȱȱȱȱ ȱȱȱȱěȱȱȱ-­‐‑ ȱǻǰȱŗşşśǼǯȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱ ¡ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ǯȱ ěȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ Ȭȱ and low-­‐‑predictability sentences would presumably indicate the extent ȱ ȱȱȱȱȱĚȱȱȱęȱȱȱ-­‐‑ CHARACTERISTICS OF SPANISH SENTENCES 3 mantic and syntactic information provided by context (Mayo, Florentine, ǭȱǰȱŗşşŝǼǯȱǰȱȱȱȱȬȱȱ Ȭ¢ȱȱȱ appropriate for assessing the type of sensory or cognitive processes in-­‐‑ volved in sentence processing by bilingual listeners. In addition, the use of high-­‐‑ and low-­‐‑predictability sentences by audiologists has demonstrated ȱĜ¢ȱȱȱȱȱȬȱȱǻ ǰȱ ǰȱǭȱǰȱŗşŝşǼǯȱ Several listening conditions have been used in examining high-­‐‑ and Ȭ¢ȱǰȱȱȱȱȱěȱ-­‐‑ ȬȬȱ ȱ ǻ ǰȱ et alǯǰȱ ŗşŝŝDzȱ Ȭȱ ǭȱ £ǰȱ 1999, 2001, 2004; Dubno, et al., 2000; Gordon-­‐‑Salant, Fitzgibbons, & Fried-­‐‑ ǰȱŘŖŖŝDzȱ ǰȱǰȱǰȱ¢ǰȱǭȱǰȱŘŖŖŝǼǰȱȱȱ (Gordon-­‐‑Salant & Fitzgibbons, 1999, 2001, 2004; Humes, et alǯǰȱŘŖŖŝDzȱȬ Gor-­‐‑ don-­‐‑Salant, et alǯǰȱŘŖŖŝǼǰȱȱȱěȱȂȱȱǻ¢ǰȱ-­‐‑ Ȭǰȱ ȱ ǰȱ ǰȱ ǭȱ ǰȱ ŘŖŖŝǼǰȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ Ĵȱ ǻȬǰȱ ǰȱ ǰȱ ǰȱ ǭȱ ǰȱ ŘŖŖŝǼȱ ȱ Ȭȱ ȱ ǻǰȱ Ȭǰȱ ǭȱ ǰȱŘŖŖŞǼǯȱ The high-­‐‑ and low-­‐‑predictability sentences have also been used to ȱ ȱ ¡ȱ ȱ ȱ ¢ȱ ȱ ¢ȱ ęȱ ȱ ¡ǰȱ both in perception and recall. Working memory capacity (Baddeley & ǰȱŗşŝŚǼȱ ȱȱ¢ȱȬǰȱet alǯȱǻŗşşśǼȱȱȱ¢ȱ version of the Daneman and Carpenter task for reading materials (Dane-­‐‑ ȱǭȱǰȱŗşŞřǼǯȱȱȱ¢ȱ¢ȱȬǰȱet alǯȱǻŗşşśǼǰȱ-­‐‑ ȱ ȱȱȱȱȱęȱ ȱȱȱȱ¢ȱ Ğȱȱȱȱȱȱ¢ȱȱȱȱȱȱ ęȱ ȱȱ¢ȱȱ¢ȱ ȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱ set of sentences. Finally, the availability of several equivalent lists of high-­‐‑ and low-­‐‑predictability sentences is useful when it is necessary to test the same individuals on several occasions over a period of time. Although these questions are interesting regardless of the native lan-­‐‑ guage of the individuals, most studies have been conducted with English-­‐‑ speaking participants and English-­‐‑language materials. To date, there are no sets of high-­‐‑ and low-­‐‑predictability sentences in the Spanish language ȱȱȱȱȱȱȱǻȱǼȱȱȱ¢ȱ-­‐‑ ȱȱǯȱȱ ȱȱȱȱǻ Ǽǰȱ¢ȱ-­‐‑ ȱ¢ȱǰȱǰȱȱȱǻŗşşŚǼȱȱȱȱȱȱ ȱȱ¢ȱ ȱǻŘŖŖŞǼǰȱȱȱȱȱȱȱ the distinction between high and low predictability is not contemplated in these lists. In the present study, equivalent sets of high-­‐‑ and low-­‐‑predict-­‐‑ ¢ȱȱ ȱǯȱȱęȱȱȱȱ¡ȱȬ-­‐‑ dictability lists of sentences, and six low-­‐‑predictability lists, each list com-­‐‑ 4 T. CERVERA & J. GONZÁLEZ-­‐‑ALVAREZ prising 25 sentences. These lists were equivalent on predictability, but also on other characteristics such as length, phonetic content (both the whole ȱȱȱȱ Ǽǰȱ¢ȱǰȱ ȱǰȱȱ¢ȱ ȱȱęȱ ǯȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱ because processing the sentence cannot take so long that it requires exten-­‐‑ sive memory. It is also important because there is a positive relation be-­‐‑ ȱȱȱȱěȱȱȱ¡ȱȱȱȱȱȱ ȱ ȱǻȱĴȱǭȱǰȱŗşşŖǼǯȱȱȱȱǰȱȱȱȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ě¢ȱ ȱ ¢ȱ ȱ ȱ processing of the sentence, an important property of the sentence (includ-­‐‑ ȱȱȱ Ǽȱ ȱȱȱȱȱȱȱǯ At the same time, controlling the characteristics of the last word is also ǰȱȱȱ ȱǻȱȱȱ ȱǼȱȱ¢ȱ-­‐‑ ȱȱȱȱȱȱęȱȱȂȱǰȱȱȱȱȱ and easier for the researcher or clinician to evaluate. The last words used in the present study were also equivalent in frequency of occurrence. All ȱ ȱȱ¢ȱȱȱȱȱęȱ¢ȱǻȱȱȱ ¢ȱ ȱȱȱȱȱǼȱȱȱȱ is the most frequent one in the Spanish language. These lists of sentences, ȱȱȱȱ¢ǰȱǰȱȱęȱ ȱ¢ǰȱ are suitable for use in psycholinguistic research with Spanish-­‐‑speaking participants in those circumstances in which sensory reception and cog-­‐‑ ȱȱǻ¡ȱěǼȱȱȱȱȱȱǯ ђѡѕќё Procedure Selecting the last word of sentencesǯȯȱęȱȱȱȱȱ-­‐‑ tences was to select the words which would be the last words in the sen-­‐‑ ǯȱĞȱǰȱȱȱ ȱǯȱ ȱȱȱ by ǰȱet alǯȱǻŗşŝŝǼǰ the last word in the sentence must be a noun, but ȱȱȱȱ¢ȱȱȱȱȱȱȱęȱ¢ȱȱȱȱȱ most representative syllabic structure in Spanish, rather than the mono-­‐‑ syllabic words preferably used in the English language. Another require-­‐‑ ment was that all the words have a similar frequency index. The words ȱȱȱĴȱȱȱ¢ȱ¢ȱǯȱȱȱȱ¢ȱ ȱȱȱ ȱȱ ȱȱȱȱȱȱ Ĵȱ-­‐‑ ȱȱȱȱȱȂȱȱǻŗşşśǼǯȱȱ ȱȱ had a frequency of between 16 and 41 per million, and they were nouns, ¢ǰȱȱȱȱȱęȱ¢ǯȱȱȱȱȱȱ 240 words. Generation of sentences.—The next step was to generate a high-­‐‑pre-­‐‑ dictability sentence and a low-­‐‑predictability sentence for each of the 240 CHARACTERISTICS OF SPANISH SENTENCES 5 words. The low-­‐‑predictability sentences were formed with the target word ȱ¢ȱȱȱ¡ȱȱȱȃȱȱȱȱǯȺȺǯȺ ǯȄȱǻȃȂȱȱ ȱȱȱȱǯȺȺǯȺ ǯȄȱǼȱȱȃȱàȱȱǯȺȺǯȺ ǯȄȱǻȃȱȱȱ ǯȺȺǯȺ ǯȄǼǯȱȱhigh-­‐‑predictability sentences were generated by using the last word preceded by a context semantically connected with that word, such ȱȃàȱȱȱȱȱȱȄȱǻ ȦȱȱȱȱȱȱȦȱ ȄǼȱȱȃȱȱȱȱȱȄȱǻȃȱȱȱ¢ȱȱȱ ȄǼǰȱȱ ȱȱ¢ȱ ȱȱȱ¢ȱȱ ǯȱǰȱ sayings, maxims, adages, etc., were avoided. All sentences with both high and low predictability had a similar length of seven to 10 syllables, and they had a variety of syntactic structures. Predictability of the sentences and initial selection.—The 210 h high-­‐‑ igh-­‐‑predict-­‐‑ ability sentences were judged on their predictability by a group of 150 participants, students at the University of Valencia from 21 to 26 years of age who participated voluntarily and gave their informed consent. All the sentences were presented as a paper-­‐‑and-­‐‑pencil test without the last ȱȱȱȱǻǯǯǰȱȃȱȱȱȱȱǯȺȺǯȺ ǯǰȄȱȃȱȱȱ¢ȱ ȱǯȺȺǯȺ ǯȄǼǯȱȱȱ ȱȱȱęȱȱȱȱ ȱȱȱ-­‐‑ tence according to what they thought was the most likely word to occur. They were told that the last word was a bisyllabic noun stressed on the ęȱ¢ǯȱȱȱ ȱȱȱěȱȱȱȱȱ of several weeks. For each sentence, the number of responses which coincided with the last word, transformed into percentages (of the total number of partici-­‐‑ Ȃȱ Ǽǰȱ ȱȱȱȱȱȱȱ¢ǯȱȱ the initial pool of 240 sentences, those sentences whose predictability was between 10% and 90% were selected. This way, the sentences of very high or very low predictability were excluded. The total number of selected sentences was 168. Of these 168 sentences, 150 were randomly selected and randomly assigned to the six lists of 25 high-­‐‑predictability sentences. The 18 remaining sentences were not used. The means and the standard deviations for the values of predictabil-­‐‑ ¢ȱȱȱȱȱ¡ȱȱȱȱ ȱȱǻȱŗǼǯȱȱȱ intention was to have lists homogeneous in predictability values, the pres-­‐‑ ent objective was to obtain similar mean values for all the lists. To con-­‐‑ ęȱȱȱ¡ȱȱȱȱěȱ¢ȱȱȱ¢ȱ-­‐‑ ues, a one-­‐‑way ANOVA was conducted with the predictability scores for ȱȱǻ¡ȱȱǼȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ǻǼȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ¡ȱ ǯȱ¢ȱ ȱ ȱ ęȱ ěȱ ȱ ȱ ǻFȶƽȶŖǯśşǰȱ pȶǁȶǯŖśDzȱ Ș2ȶƽȶŖǯŖŘǼǰȱǰȱȱ¡ȱȱȱȱěȱ ȱȱȱȱ-­‐‑ ability of the last word. 6 T. CERVERA & J. GONZÁLEZ-­‐‑ALVAREZ TABLE 1 ђюћѠȱюћёȱѡюћёюџёȱђѣіюѡіќћѠ ќџȱѡѕђȱђюѠѢџђѠȱќѓȱџђёіѐѡюяіљіѡѦȱǻƖǼȱюћёȱџђўѢђћѐѦȱ ќѓȱѡѕђȱюѠѡȱќџёȱіћȱѡѕђȱђћѡђћѐђȱіћȱѡѕђȱіѠѡȱќѓȱ ієѕȬѝџђёіѐѡюяіљіѡѦȱђћѡђћѐђѠ Predictability List 1 List 2 List 3 List 4 List 5 List 6 Frequency M SD M SD 0.40 0.39 0.38 0.36 0.38 0.40 0.23 0.24 0.26 0.23 0.22 0.28 26.50 ŘŜǯŝŘ 28.50 31.36 28.90 25.86 12.48 ȱŝǯřŚ 8.33 15.01 14.38 14.38 Frequency of the last word.—From the initial pool of 240 words selected ȱȱȱȂȱȱǻŗşşśǼǰȱ¢ȱŗśŖȱǻ¡ȱȱȱŘśȱ-­‐‑ ǰȱ ȱ ŗǼȱ ȱ ę¢ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ Ȭȱ ȱ Ȭ¢ȱ sentence, as explained above. Because it was necessary to test whether the frequency values of the last word were similar for the six lists, a one-­‐‑way ANOVA was conducted on values of frequency of the last word, obtained ȱȱȱȂȱȱǻŗşşśǼȱȱȱȱǰȱȱ ȱȱȱȱȱ ȱ¡ȱǯȱȱ ȱȱęȱ ěȱȱȱǻFȶƽȶŖǯŗŗǰȱpȶǁȶǯŖśDzȱȘ2ȶƽȶŖǯŖśǼǰȱȱȱȱ¡ȱȱȱȱ ěȱ ȱȱȱȱ¢ȱȱȱȱ ǯ Phonetic content.—Another aim of the present study was for the six lists of 25 high-­‐‑predictability sentences to have similar phonetic content in case these lists were to be used in intelligibility experiments. For this pur-­‐‑ pose, the phonetic balance of the speech materials should be controlled. For the low-­‐‑predictability sentences this question was not as relevant be-­‐‑ cause the same 25 preceding contexts were used in each of the six lists. The phonetic counts were performed separately for the last words of the 150 high-­‐‑predictability sentences and for the whole high-­‐‑predictability sen-­‐‑ ȱǻȱȱ¡ȱȱȱȱ Ǽǯȱȱȱǰȱ¢ȱ-­‐‑ ȱ ȱǻǰȱǰȱȱǼȱ ȱȱȱǰȱȱ-­‐‑ ticles, prepositions, and adverbs were not considered. The phonetic count was calculated by counting the number of occurrences of segments in each ȱȱǻǰȱǰȱǰȱǰȱȱ Ǽǯȱ-­‐‑ ic content calculations were performed by the authors. No special training in phonetics is needed for this task because the correspondence between ȱȱĴȱȱȱȱȱȱȱǯ A distribution of frequencies for each phoneme class was obtained for ȱȱȱŗśŖȱȱǻȱ ȱǼǯȱȱȱȱȱ it possible to specify whether any of the sentences deviated in the number of occurrences in any of the phoneme classes. For instance, the table of fre-­‐‑ quencies for the occlusives showed that most of their values ranged from ŝ CHARACTERISTICS OF SPANISH SENTENCES 1 to 4, and only one sentence had 5 occlusives. Thus, this sentence was re-­‐‑ placed by one of the remaining 18 sentences from the initial distribution of sentences to the six lists. The new sentence had to have approximately the same predictability as the one which was replaced. Only one sentence had to be replaced by another. Table 2 shows the number of occurrences of each phoneme class for the six lists of high-­‐‑ and low-­‐‑predictability sentences. TABLE 2 ѕќћђѡіѐȱќѢћѡѠȱяѦȱѢњяђџȱќѓȱѐѐѢџџђћѐђѠȱіћȱюѐѕȱѕќћђњђȱ љюѠѠȱќџȱюѠѡȱќџёȱюћёȱѕќљђȱђћѡђћѐђǰȱќџȱќѡѕȱ ієѕȬ ѝџђёіѐѡюяіљіѡѦȱǻ ǼȱюћёȱќѤȬѝџђёіѐѡюяіљіѡѦȱǻǼȱђћѡђћѐђѠ List List 1 List 2 List 3 List 4 List 5 List 6 Count Type Last word HP whole sentence LP whole sentence Last word HP whole sentence LP whole sentence Last word HP whole sentence LP whole sentence Last word HP whole sentence LP whole sentence Last word HP whole sentence LP whole sentence Last word HP whole sentence LP whole sentence Phoneme Class Occlusive Fricatives Nasals Liquids Vowels 24 80 93 21 ŝś 90 18 81 Şŝ 26 ŝŗ 95 24 81 93 26 83 95 14 38 49 10 35 45 16 řŝ 52 19 49 54 15 řŝ 50 15 39 50 3 23 39 ȱŝ 41 43 11 39 Śŝ ȱŝ 25 43 10 35 46 10 řŝ 46 15 52 59 15 řŝ 59 11 44 55 13 48 śŝ 14 46 58 15 52 59 48 ŗŝŗ 213 48 ŗŝŘ 210 50 ŗŝŜ 214 56 184 222 55 ŗŝş 220 50 ŗŝŘ 219 To test whether all the sentences of each type (high and low predict-­‐‑ ¢ǼȱȱȱȱǰȱȱȤ2 analysis was performed with the counts obtained from the phonetic content analysis for each sentence ¢ǯȱ ȱ ȱ ǻǰȱ ǰȱ ǰȱ ǰȱ ȱ Ǽȱ ȱȱǻ¡ȱǼȱ ȱȱȱǯȱȱȤ2ȱȱ ȱȱę-­‐‑ cant for the high-­‐‑ or low-­‐‑predictability sentences (Ȥ2ȶƽȶŗşǯřŖǰȱdfȶƽȶŘŖǰȱpȶǁȶǯŖśǰȱ and Ȥ2ȶƽȶŘǯŞŖǰȱȶƽȶŘŖǰȱpȶǁȶǯŖśǰȱ¢Ǽǯȱǰȱȱ¡ȱȱȱȬȱȱ Ȭ¢ȱȱȱȱěȱȱȱȱǯȱȱ ęȱ ȱ ȱ Ȭȱ ȱ Ȭ¢ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ¡ȱǻǯȱȊȊȬȊȊǼǯ іѠѐѢѠѠіќћ The objective was to generate equivalent lists of high-­‐‑ and low-­‐‑pre-­‐‑ dictability Spanish sentences, as none existed for use in the Spanish lan-­‐‑ 8 T. CERVERA & J. GONZÁLEZ-­‐‑ALVAREZ guage. Such sentences have many applications in the psycholinguistics, especially in those circumstances in which one would be interested in as-­‐‑ ȱȱ¢ȱȱĴȬȱȱȱȱȱǻěȱ ȱȱ¡ǼȱȱȬ ȱȱȱȱȱȱȱ-­‐‑ guage processing. The six lists of 25 high-­‐‑predictability sentences and the equivalent six lists of 25 low-­‐‑predictability sentences were generated. All sentences were equivalent on characteristics of predictability, length, and ȱǯȱȱȱȱȱ¢ȱ ȱȱ¢ȱȱȱȱě-­‐‑ tive processing of a sentence by the listener, it was also necessary to con-­‐‑ ȱȱȱȱȱ DZȱ¢ȱȱǰȱǰȱǰȱ and phonetic content. The data showed that all the lists of high-­‐‑ and low-­‐‑ predictability sentences were equivalent in these characteristics. These lists are intended for use in psycholinguistic research and they would be suitable for an intelligibility assessment in future studies. 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Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 20, 190-­‐‑203. ќџёќћȬюљюћѡǰȱǯǰȱ&ȱіѡѧєіяяќћѠǰȱǯȱǯȱǻŗşşŝǼȳȱȱȱȱȱ recognition performance among young and elderly listeners. Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, 40, 423-­‐‑431. ќџёќћȬюљюћѡǰȱǯǰȱ&ȱіѡѧєіяяќћѠǰȱǯȱǯȱǻŗşşşǼȳęȱȱ¢ȱȱȱ in older adults. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 42, 300-­‐‑311. ќџёќћȬюљюћѡǰȱǯǰȱ&ȱіѡѧєіяяќћѠǰȱǯȱǯȱǻŘŖŖŗǼȳȱȱȬȱȱ-­‐‑ ę¢ȱ ȱ Ȭȱ ǯȱ Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Re-­‐‑ searchǰȱŚŚǰȱŝŖşȬŝŗşǯ CHARACTERISTICS OF SPANISH SENTENCES 9 ќџёќћȬюљюћѡǰȱǯǰȱ&ȱіѡѧєіяяќћѠǰȱǯȱǯȱǻŘŖŖŚǼȳěȱȱȱȱȱȱ-­‐‑ ability on speech perception by younger and older adults. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, ŗŗśǰȱŗŞŖŞȬŗŞŗŝǯ ќџёќћȬюљюћѡǰȱǯǰȱіѡѧєіяяќћѠǰȱǯȱǯǰȱ&ȱџіђёњюћǰȱǯȱǯȱǻŘŖŖŝǼȳȱȱȬ compressed and natural speech with selective temporal enhancements by young and elderly listeners. Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, 50, 1181-­‐‑1193. ќѦǰȱ ǯǰȱіѐѕќџюȬѢљљђџǰȱǯȱǯǰȱѣюћȱіђѠѕќѢѡǰȱǯǰȱіћєѕǰȱǯǰȱ&ȱѐѕћђіёђџǰȱǯȱǯȱǻŘŖŖŝǼȱ ěȱȱ Ȭȱȱ Ȭȱ¢ȱȱ ȱęȱȱȱ¢ȱ younger and older adults. Canadian Acoustics, 35, 108-­‐‑109. ѢюџѡђǰȱǯȱǻŘŖŖŞǼȳȱȱȱ ȱȱȱǯȱInternational Journal of Audiology, ŚŝǰȱřŜşȬřŝŖǯ ѢњђѠǰȱǯȱǯǰȱѢџјǰȱǯȱ ǯǰȱќѢєѕљіћǰȱǯȱǯǰȱѢѠђѦǰȱǯȱǯǰȱ&ȱѡџюѢѠђџǰȱǯȱǯȱǻŘŖŖŝǼȳ-­‐‑ ¢ȱȱȱȱȱ¡ȱȱȱ¢ȱȱȱDZȱ ȱ ȱ ěȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ěȱ ȱ ȱ rate. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 50, 283-­‐‑303. ѢѡѐѕђџѠќћǰȱ ǯȱ ǯǰȱ іџјѠǰȱ ǯȱ ǯǰȱ &ȱ ќџєюћǰȱ ǯȱ ǯȱ ǻŗşŝşǼȳȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱȱȱǻǼȱǯȱOtolaryngology-­‐‑Head and Neck Surgery, ŞŝǰȱŘřşȬŘŚśǯ юљіјќѤǰȱǯȱǯǰȱѡђѣђћѠǰȱǯȱǯǰȱ&ȱљљіќѡǰȱǯȱǯȱǻŗşŝŝǼȳȱȱȱȱȱȱ intelligibility in noise using sentence materials with controlled word predictabil-­‐‑ ity. Journal of the Acoustical Society of AmericaǰȱśǰȱŗřřŝȬŗřŜŖǯ юџѠљђћȬіљѠќћǰȱǯȱǻŗşŞŝǼȳȱȱȱȱ ȱǯȱCog-­‐‑ nition, ŘśǰȱŝŗȬŗŖŘǯ юѦќǰȱǯȱ ǯǰȱљќџђћѡіћђǰȱǯǰȱ&ȱѢѢѠǰȱǯȱǻŗşşŝǼȳȱȱȬȱȱ and perception of speech in noise. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 40, 3, 686-­‐‑693. ѐљђљљюћёǰȱǯȱǯǰȱ&ȱљљњюћǰȱǯȱǯȱǻŗşŞŜǼȳThe TRACE model of speech perception. Cognitive Psychology, 18, 1-­‐‑86. іљљђџǰȱǯȱǯǰȱ ђіѠђǰȱǯȱǯǰȱ&ȱіѐѕѡђћǰȱǯȱǻŗşśŗǼȳȱ¢ȱȱȱȱȱ-­‐‑ tion of the context in test materials. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 41, 329-­‐‑335. іљѠѠќћǰȱǯǰȱќљіǰȱǯȱǯǰȱ&ȱѢљљіѣюћǰȱǯȱǯȱ(1994Ǽȳȱȱȱ ȱȱȱ Test for the measurement of speech reception thresholds in quiet and in noise. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 95, 1085-­‐‑1099. ђџџѦǰȱǯȱǯǰȱ&ȱіћєѓіђљёǰȱǯȱǻŗşşŚǼȳ¡ȱȱ¢ȱ¢ȱȱ¢ȱȱ as revealed by cued and free recall. Aging and Cognition, 1, 120-­‐‑139. іѐѕќџюȬѢљљђџǰȱǯȱǯȱǻŘŖŖŞǼȳȱȱȱ¡ȱ¢ȱ¢ȱȱȱȱ-­‐‑ DZȱȱĴȬȱȱȬ ȱȱǯȱInternational Journal of Audiology, ŚŝǻǯȱŘǼǰȱŝŘȬŞŘǯ іѐѕќџюȬѢљљђџǰȱ ǯȱ ǯǰȱ ѐѕћђіёђџǰȱ ǯȱ ǯǰȱ &ȱ юћђњюћǰȱ ǯȱ ǻŗşşśǼȳ ȱ ¢ȱ ȱ old adults listen and remember speech in noise. Journal of the Acoustical Society of AmericaǰȱşŝǰȱśşřȬŜŖŞǯ іѐѕќџюȬѢљљђџǰȱ ǯȱ ǯǰȱ ѐѕћђіёђџǰȱ ǯȱ ǯǰȱ юѐќћюљёǰȱ ǯǰȱ юѠѠǰȱ ǯȱ ǯǰȱ &ȱ џќѤћǰȱ ǯȱ ǻŘŖŖŝǼȳȱĴȱȱȱ¢ǯȱHearing Research, 223, 114-­‐‑ 121. юњѢђљǰȱǯȱǯȱǻŗşŞŗǼȳȱȱȱĴȬȱęȱȱȱȱ-­‐‑ sion. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, ŝǰȱŗŗŘŚȬ 1131. 10 T. CERVERA & J. GONZÁLEZ-­‐‑ALVAREZ ѕђљёќћǰȱǯǰȱіѐѕќџюȬѢљљђџǰȱǯȱǯǰȱ&ȱѐѕћђіёђџǰȱǯȱǯȱǻŘŖŖŞǼȳěȱȱǰȱ-­‐‑ ȱǰȱȱȱȱęȱȱȬȱ ǯȱJournal of the Acoustical Society of America, ŗŘřǰȱŚŝŜȬŚŞŞǯ ќњњђџѠǰȱ ǯȱ ǯǰȱ &ȱ юћіђљѠќћǰȱ ǯȱ ǯȱ ǻŗşşşǼȳ¢ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ¢ȱ ȱ ȱ DZȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ¡ȱ ȱ ȱ semantic context. Psychology and Aging, ŗŚǰȱŚśŞȬŚŝŘǯ юћȱђѡѡђћǰȱǯǰȱ&ȱѢѡюѠǰȱǯȱǻŗşşŖǼȳInteractions between sentence context and word frequency in event-­‐‑related brain potentials. Memory & Cognition, 18, 380-­‐‑393. іћєѓіђљёǰȱǯǰȱ Ѣћǰȱ ǯȱǯǰȱ &ȱ ѐќѦǰȱ ǯȱ ǯȱ ǻŘŖŖśǼȳ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ DZȱ what it is and how it interacts with cognitive performance. Current Directions in Psychological Sciences, 14, 144-­‐‑148. Accepted October 13, 2010. 11 CHARACTERISTICS OF SPANISH SENTENCES APPENDIX іѠѡѠȱќѓȱ ієѕȬѝџђёіѐѡюяіљіѡѦȱђћѡђћѐђѠȱіѡѕȱѕђіџȱ ўѢіѣюљђћѡȱіѠѡѠȱќѓȱќѤȬѝџђёіѐѡюяіљіѡѦȱђћѡђћѐђѠ High-­‐‑predictability Sentences List 1 En el castillo se alza la ȱ¡àȱàȱ Iba vestida con falda y Ata el regalo con una Guardo el dinero en el ȱàȱȱ ȱȱȱàȱ Hay que limpiar, hay mucho El río sigue por su ȱàȱȱȱȱ àȱȱȱ àȱȱȱĚȱȱ £àȱȱȱȱ Le gusta escurrir el Lleva la compra en la ȱàȱȱȱ Bebe la leche de la No suelen comer carne de ȱàȱȱħȱ¢ȱ ȱȱȱàȱ ȱàȱȱȱȱ En el cielo hay bandadas de Son auténticos perros de Soplaba una suave Todo se repite es un List 2 Voy al museo de Pronto alcanzarán la Iba cargado como un àȱȱȱȱȱȱ Dicen que habrá un cambio de Yo estudio música y Voy al trabajo en àȱȱȱȱ àȱȱ Todos seguíamos al Tiene una casa junto a un Tengo que podar esa Te has pasado de la Sírveme ginebra con Tengo el dinero en el Se requiere vestido de Dormimos hasta el ȱàȱȱȱȱȱ ȱàȱȱȱȱ La carta lleva su Refresca mucho chupar un ȱȱàȱ ȱęȱȱȱ Paramos para hacer una Para leer necesita Last Word torre caos blusa cinta bolso premio baile polvo cauce banda pila arco salto bulto bolsa artes taza cerdo bata rata barro aves caza brisa ciclo cera cima burro cita clima danza metro mueca sopa guía lago rama raya hielo banco gala alba plato trago ę polo gases muro pausa gafas Low-­‐‑predictability Sentences Last Word List 1 Ha estado pronunciando torre Ellos escribieron caos Pronuncia la palabra blusa Ahora voy a decir cinta ȱħȱȱ bolso ȱȱàȱħ premio No temas hablar del baile No discutieron sobre el polvo Tu oíste que decía cauce Está interesado en decir banda Juan no discute de la pila Espero que hables de un arco La niña sabía decir salto Laura no pudo hablar del bulto Les oí que hablaban de una bolsa ȱàȱȱ artes Deberías poder decir taza Estábamos pensando en un cerdo ¢ȱȱÛàȱȱ bata Ellos no consideraron la rata Laura estaba pronunciando barro Es probable que hablen de unas aves No creas que voy a decir caza Lo que esta describiendo es la brisa Adivina lo qué es un ciclo List 2 Ha estado pronunciando cera Ellos escribieron cima Pronuncia la palabra burro Ahora voy a decir cita ȱħȱȱ clima ȱȱàȱħ danza No temas hablar del metro No discutieron sobre una mueca Tu oíste que decía sopa Está interesado en decir guía Juan no discute del lago Espero que hables de una rama La niña sabía decir raya Laura no pudo hablar del hielo Les oí que hablaban del noble ȱàȱȱ gala Deberías poder decir alba Estábamos pensando en un plato ¢ȱȱÛàȱȱ trago Ellos no consideraron la ę Laura estaba pronunciando polo Es probable que hablen de unos gases No creas que voy a decir muro Lo que esta describiendo es la pausa Adivina lo qué son unas gafas 12 T. CERVERA & J. GONZÁLEZ-­‐‑ALVAREZ High-­‐‑predictability Sentences List 3 Para entrar necesitas un Colecciona objetos de Nos guiamos siguiendo el ȱàȱȱȱȱ No quiero meter la Sirve a una causa muy No lo acabes, guárdame un No cabía en sí de No arañes con esas Mete la guitarra en su Me obligan a seguir esa Me gusta cantar en la Llevaba un pañuelo de Llego tarde, cogeré un Los leones viven en la ȱàȱȱ Lo mediré con una ȱàȱȱȱ Le gusta el fútbol y los ȱàȱȱ Las maletas las lleva el La sangre corre por sus La pluma mancha de La modista compra una La lengua mas hablada es el List 4 La escayola inmoviliza el ȱ£ȱȱàȱ Juega al ajedrez y las Juan fue a un colegio de Haz un hoyo con pala y Hay que resolver ciertas Guarda bien el dinero y las En el cielo no se ven Fue escrito con su propia Este piso no está en Estás rayado como un Estaba encerrado en la Es un sagrado lugar de Es un consumidor de Es un bolso negro de Es letal a ciertas Es el primero de la Es el militar de más Es el colmo de todos los àȱȱȱȱ ȱȱęȱȱȱ Enciende la mecha de esa En matemáticas es un En la urna deposito el ȱȱȱ¢àȱ List 5 En la cola espero mi En Italia comí mucha En el mar hay grandes Last Word pase lujo mapa gallo pata noble trozo gozo uñas funda norma ducha seda taxi selva misa regla rosas toros palo mozo venas tinta tela chino hueso fama damas curas pico dudas joyas nubes letra venta disco jaula culto droga cuero dosis ę rango males cifras lobo vela genio voto rayo turno pasta olas Low-­‐‑predictability Sentences List 3 Ha estado pronunciando Ellos escribieron Pronuncia la palabra Ahora voy a decir ȱħȱȱ ȱȱàȱħ No temas hablar del No discutieron sobre el Tu oíste que decía Está interesado en decir Juan no discute de la Espero que hables de una La niña sabía decir Laura no pudo hablar del Les oí que hablaban de la ȱàȱȱ Deberías poder decir Estábamos pensando en unas ¢ȱȱÛàȱȱ Ellos no consideraron el Laura estaba pronunciando Es probable que hablen de unas No creas que voy a decir Lo que esta describiendo es la Adivina lo qué es un List 4 Ha estado pronunciando Ellos escribieron Pronuncia la palabra Ahora voy a decir ȱħȱȱ ȱȱàȱħ No temas hablar de unas No discutieron sobre unas Tu oíste que decía Está interesado en decir Juan no discute de un Espero que hables de una La niña sabía decir Laura no pudo hablar de la Les oí que hablaban del ȱàȱȱ Deberías poder decir Estábamos pensando en el ¢ȱȱÛàȱȱ Ellos no consideraron las Laura estaba pronunciando Es probable que hablen de una No creas que voy a decir Lo que esta describiendo es el Adivina lo qué es un List 5 Ha estado pronunciando Ellos escribieron Pronuncia la palabra Last Word pase lujo mapa gallo pata noble trozo gozo uñas funda norma ducha seda taxi selva misa regla rosas toros palo mozo venas tinta tela chino hueso fama damas curas pico dudas joyas nubes letra venta disco jaula culto droga cuero dosis ę rango males cifras lobo vela genio voto rayo turno pasta olas CHARACTERISTICS OF SPANISH SENTENCES High-­‐‑predictability Sentences En el mapa sigue la En el informe nos falta un Fue herido con una La nota mínima es un En el camino pinché una ȱȱàȱ Casi me muero del El tren circula por las El silencio fue en señal de El seguro cubrirá los ȱàȱȱȱ El rey se sienta en su El pescador recoge las El palacio pertenece al El detective sigue la ȱȱàȱȱ El anillo se lo puso el El abuelo cuida de su ȱȱȱàȱ Duermo con un cojín de Devuelve lo robado a su Es austero como un List 6 ȱàȱȱȱ La soprano da clases de Corta el tallo y las Para abrir la puerta tengo àȱȱȱȱȱ ȱȱàȱȱȱ Canta de tenor en un El caballo tira del Al mar van a desembocar los Al correr se me acelera el Al caer se dio en la A la miel acuden las Deja el niño en la Brindamos alzando la El siempre gasta pesadas La historia tiene una buena Espere su turno en la Tengo asiento en primera ȱàȱ¢ȱȱ Acampamos con nuestras El sabe como lanzar un De noche hay luz de Corta la carne en pequeños No hubo heridos en el El árbitro hizo sonar el Last Word ruta dato lanza cero rueda falda susto vías duelo daños culpa trono redes duque pista rocas novio nieto verso plumas dueña monje beso canto hojas llave presa túnel coro carro ríos pulso nuca moscas cuna copa bromas trama cola ę trampa tiendas dardo luna trozos choque pito Low-­‐‑predictability Sentences Ahora voy a decir ȱħȱȱ ȱȱàȱħ No temas hablar del No discutieron sobre la Tu oíste que decía Está interesado en decir Juan no discute de las Espero que hables de un La niña sabía decir Laura no pudo hablar de la Les oí que hablaban de un ȱàȱȱ Deberías poder decir Estábamos pensando en una ¢ȱȱÛàȱȱ Ellos no consideraron al Laura estaba pronunciando Es probable que hablen de un No creas que voy a decir Lo que esta describiendo es la Adivina lo qué es un List 6 Ha estado pronunciando Ellos escribieron Pronuncia la palabra Ahora voy a decir ȱħȱȱ ȱȱàȱħ No temas hablar del No discutieron sobre el Tu oíste que decía Está interesado en decir Juan no discute de la Espero que hables de unas La niña sabía decir Laura no pudo hablar de la Les oí que hablaban de unas ȱàȱȱ Deberías poder decir Estábamos pensando en una ¢ȱȱÛàȱȱ Ellos no consideraron la Laura estaba pronunciando Es probable que hablen de la No creas que voy a decir Lo que esta describiendo es el Adivina lo qué es un 13 Last Word ruta dato lanza cero rueda falda susto vías duelo daño culpa trono redes duque pista rocas novio nieto verso plumas dueña metal beso canto hoja llave presa túnel coro carro ríos pulso nuca moscas cuna copa bromas trama cola ę trampa tienda dardo luna trozo choque pito