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Phonemic—Morphemic dissociation in university students with dyslexia: an index of reading compensation?

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Abstract

A phonological deficit constitutes a primary cause of developmental dyslexia, which persists into adulthood and can explain some aspects of their reading impairment. Nevertheless, some dyslexic adults successfully manage to study at university level, although very little is currently known about how they achieve this. The present study investigated at both the individual and group levels, whether the development of another oral language skill, namely, morphological knowledge, can be preserved and dissociated from the development of phonological knowledge. Reading, phonological, and morphological abilities were measured in 20 dyslexic and 20 non-dyslexic university students. The results confirmed the persistence of deficits in phonological but not morphological abilities, thereby revealing a dissociation in the development of these two skills. Moreover, the magnitude of the dissociation correlated with reading level. The outcome supports the claim that university students with dyslexia may compensate for phonological weaknesses by drawing on morphological knowledge in reading.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge Jennifer Martin for having allowed us to use her materials and Mélody Zira for her help in testing participants. In addition, we would like to thank all the participants in this study. Special thanks are due to Professor John R. Crawford for giving us permission to use and disseminate his single-case study method. Finally, we would also like to thank Florence Poracchia-George (CERTA, Salvator Hospital Marseille, France) for helping with the recruitment of dyslexic participants.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Aix-Marseille Université, LPC, CNRS, Marseille, France

    Eddy Cavalli & Pascale Colé

  2. School of Psychology, University of Dundee, Scotland, UK

    Lynne G. Duncan

  3. Centre for Reading Research, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Carsten Elbro

  4. Aix-Marseille Université, LNIA, CNRS, Marseille, France

    Abdessadek El Ahmadi

Authors
  1. Eddy Cavalli
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  2. Lynne G. Duncan
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  3. Carsten Elbro
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  4. Abdessadek El Ahmadi
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  5. Pascale Colé
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Eddy Cavalli or Pascale Colé.

Appendix

Appendix

Items for the suffixation decision task

Suffixed word

Pseudosuffixed word

French item

English translation

French item

English translation

Chorale

Choral

Mistral

Mistral

Lamelle

Strip

Pirouette

Pirouette

Noisette

Hazelnut

Mirabelle

Mirabelle plum

Provençal

Provencal

Salopette

Dungarees

Citronnelle

Citronella

Sidéral

Sidereal

Vinaigrette

Vinaigrette

Coccinelle

Ladybird

Rural

Rural

Guillerette

Cheerful

Nasale

Nasal

Oral

Oral

Sauterelle

Grasshopper

Bretelle

Strap

Courgette

Courgette

Charnière

Hinge

Nominal

Nominal

Cardinal

Cardinal

Citadelle

Citadel

Hirondelle

Swallow

Rondelette

Plump

Montgolfière

Hot air balloon

Frontal

Frontal

Renard

Fox

Ombrelle

Parasol

Mercure

Mercury

Chatière

Cat flap

Stature

Stature

Terminal

Terminal

Épinard

Spinach

Violoncelle

Cello

Galipette

Somersault

Gazinière

Gas cooker

Envergure

Wingspan

Aigrette

Egret

Étendard

Standard

Petard

Firecracker

Quenelle

Quenelle

Jeunette

Young girl

Gazette

Gazette

Pendulette

Little clock

Feudal

Feudal

Moisissure

Mold

Flanelle

Flannel

Items for the suffixed word detection task (morphologically complex words are in bold)

French items

English translation

Chaussette–lunette–omelette

Sock–telescope–omelet

Truelle–rondelle–gazelle

Trowel–slice–gazelle

Aquarelle–mortadelle–varicelle

Watercolor–mortadella–chickenpox

Guépard–hussard–têtard

Cheetah–hussar–tadpole

Lanière–glacière–tanière

Strap–cooler–den

Crevette–maquette–boulette

Prawn–model–little ball

Escampette–ciboulette–maisonnette

“Go away”–chive–little house

Clochette–squelette–baguette

Small bell–skeleton–baguette

Aisselle–gamelle–tourelle

Armpit–metal dish–turret

Tourterelle–balancelle–ribambelle

Turtledove–swing seat–bunch

Musical–carnaval–arsenal

Musical–carnival–arsenal

Glissière–chaumière–paupière

Slide–thatched cottage–eyelid

Items for the phonemic awareness task

Phoneme deletion

fla

spo

klo

pra

sri

tsé

blo

sti

pso

flin

sla

vri

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Cavalli, E., Duncan, L.G., Elbro, C. et al. Phonemic—Morphemic dissociation in university students with dyslexia: an index of reading compensation?. Ann. of Dyslexia 67, 63–84 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11881-016-0138-y

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