Sonority-Related Novel Word Learning Ability of Children With Cochlear Implants With Optimal Oral Language Exposure

Abstract

The present study investigated how children with cochlear implants (CIs), with optimal exposure to oral language, perform on sonority-related novel word learning tasks. By optimal oral language exposure, we refer to bilateral cochlear implantation below the age of 2 years. Sonority is the relative perceptual prominence/loudness of speech sounds of the same length, stress, and pitch. The present study is guided by a previous study that investigated the sonority-related novel word learning ability of a group of children with CIs, in the Greek language, of which the majority were implanted beyond the age of 2 unilaterally.