# The Influence of Contextual Predictability on Word Segmentation in Chinese Reading: An Eye-Tracking Study

## TL;DR

This study explores how predictability of context affects word segmentation in Chinese reading using eye-tracking, finding a strong preference for two-character segmentation.

## Contribution

The study provides new evidence that contextual predictability and word segmentation are independent processes in Chinese reading.

## Key findings

- Highly predictable character strings were skipped more often than low-predictability ones.
- Segmentation type (AB-C vs. A-BC) consistently affected reading times, with a preference for AB-C.
- No interaction was found between contextual predictability and segmentation type.

## Abstract

Word segmentation is a fundamental component of lexical processing, and Chinese reading—lacking inter-word spacing—requires readers to identify word boundaries based on prior experience. Previous studies have shown that contextual predictability facilitates lexical identification in Chinese reading; however, its influence on word segmentation remains unclear. This study used eye-tracking to examine the relationship between contextual predictability and readers’ segmentation preferences during Chinese sentence reading. Overlapping ambiguous three-character strings (e.g., 花生长) were used as the region of interest (ROI), and a 2 (segmentation type: AB-C (e.g., 花生/长) vs. A-BC (e.g., 花/生长)) × 2 (contextual predictability: high vs. low) within-subjects design was adopted. A total of 76 native Chinese speakers completed the task. The results showed that contextual predictability had a significant effect on skipping probability: Highly predictable target character strings were skipped more often than low-predictability words. However, contextual predictability did not influence any eye-movement measure. In contrast, segmentation type produced consistent effects across all measures, with shorter reading times for AB-C than for A-BC, indicating a stable preference for two-character segmentation. More importantly, no interaction emerged between contextual predictability and segmentation type, and Bayesian model comparison further supported this conclusion. These findings suggest that Chinese reading involves a robust preference for AB-C segmentation and that contextual predictability and word segmentation operate as independent processes, with predictability exerting minimal influence on word segmentation during reading. This result supports the Chinese Reading Model (CRM).