Dissertation - Michael Becker

each word. The second file was similarly constructed with the –ot plural first, followed bythe –im plural. Each file was converted to .mp3 format using the LAME encoder, version3.97 (from http://www.mp3dev.org/).The experiment was conducted on a web-based interface, using Firefox. After someinstructions were presented, training consisted of responding to three nouns with the vowelpattern [u-a]: an existing ot-taker (sulám ‘ladder’), an existing im-taker (duxán ‘stall’), anda novel noun (kuSár). Feedback was given for the two existing items.The experimental items were randomized and presented in a frame sentence that makesthem masculine nouns, e.g.:(78) zekamoz,vezeodkamoz.this MASC is a kamoz,and this MASC is another kamoz.beyaxad, eleSneytogether, they’retwo MASCThe sentence appeared on the screen in Hebrew orthography, which included voweldiacritics on the target nouns. In parallel, the participants heard one of the sound files asdescribed above, with the singular heard twice, followed by the two plural forms in randomorder, e.g. kmoz-ím and kmoz-ót. Using the mouse, the participants were asked to choosethe form that sounded most appropriate by clicking one of two buttons.The real words used are listed with their plurals in (79). The plural forms that wereassumed to be correct are in parentheses, with the full form given if it differs from thesimple concatenation of the singular root and the plural suffix. The novel words are listedin (83) below, with the experimental results.(79) Existing words83