consonant from the previous syllable (or word) to the start of the following word (Field,
2008a). Learners had attached the final /s/ of ‘house’ to a perceived second word
approximated to ‘hold’. While the second vowel sound in ‘hold’ was mostly perceived
correctly, this did not always result in their making a correct match or considering the
semantic appropriacy of their choice. Additionally, the majority of learners misheard the
first vowel sound, perceiving the vowel /ai/ and selecting ‘high’ instead of the /au/ vowel in
‘house’. This also might have influenced word boundary decisions. Again, ‘high’ was a
semantically inappropriate choice.