Studies in Navy Communication: The Effect of Word Predictability on Sentence Intelligibility
Abstract
The relationship between word predictability and sentence intelligibility was examined by comparing the accuracy of responses by listeners to several lists of sentences. Three methods of scoring used different groups of key words which had previously been judged to represent different degrees of predictability. It was hypothesized that the scores obtained would be a function of the predictability status of the key words used in scoring. Results indicated significant differences between the three scoring procedures for each sentence list over both filtering conditions, and these differences were in the hypothesized direction. The results suggest that the use of easy-to-predict words for scoring purposes will increase sentence intelligibility while the use of difficult-to-predict words will tend to depress the intelligibility of sentences. It was concluded that word predictability is a factor influencing sentence intelligibility and that careful selection of key words for scoring purposes, determined on the basis of their predictability status, may be a possible way of controlling the intelligibility of sentences.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 08, 1971
- Accession Number
- AD0746118
Entities
People
- Joseph R. Duffy
- Russell L. Sergeant
- Thomas G. Giolas
Organizations
- Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory