The Phonograms' Genuine-Character Status: What the Embedded Semantic Radicals' Semantic Activation Live by.

Abstract

Background: In Chinese phonogram processing studies, it is widely accepted that both character and non-character semantic radicals could be semantically activated. However, little attention was paid to the underlying workings that enabled the semantic radicals' semantic activation.

Purpose: The present study aimed to address the above issue by conducting two experiments.

Methods: Experiment 1 was committed to confirming whether both character and non-character semantic radicals could be semantically activated when embedded in genuine Chinese phonograms. Experiment 2 was devoted to exploring whether the same semantic radicals could also be semantically activated when incorporated in Chinese pseudo-characters.

Results: Results demonstrated that both character and non-character semantic radicals embedded in the genuine phonograms were semantically activated, but those placed in the pseudo-characters underwent no semantic activation, suggesting that the semantic activation of semantic radicals was genuine-character status-dependent, irrespective of the semantic radicals' characterhood.

Conclusion: It seems that the genuine-character status and the meaning of the host phonogram have strong sway on the semantic activation of semantic radicals.