ABSTRACT
This chapter reports two experiments that investigate whether the visual recognition of short prefixed and suffixed words is affected by their morphological structure. First experiment tested whether the stem acts as the reading unit when it is positioned either at the beginning for suffixed words or the end for prefixed words of morphologically complex words. The first experiment also compared performance on pseudoprefixed words and pseudosuffixed words that were composed of a sequence of letters that could correspond to an affix plus a pseudostem. Second experiment again tested the aspect of the data by examining whether or not prefixed words are processed faster from the stem or from left to right according to the linearity of morphemic elements within words. The second experiment also compared performance on suffixed words to test the superiority of initial over final letters. The results of the experiments provide support for the pertinence of the stem as a reading unit within polymorphemic words.
