The role of format familiarity and semantic transparency in Chinese reading: evidence from eye movements.

ABSTRACT: Unlike alphabetic language, Chinese is an ideographic language that does not contain spaces between words. Chinese readers must develop unique segmentation strategies for word recognition and reading comprehension. This study explored the role of format familiarity and semantic transparency in Chinese reading, reflecting the segmentation strategy and word processing characteristics in Chinese reading. Forty undergraduates read Chinese in familiar and unfamiliar formats, segmenting target words into semantically transparent and semantically opaque words. We used Eye Link 1000 to measure readers' eye movement index, which can reflect processing characteristics of word recognition in Chinese reading. The following findings were made: (1) Familiarity with the text format affects Chinese readin

SUBMITTER: Chen M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11887072 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature