Coarticulation in Phonology

The study investigates nasal coarticulation in American English, focusing on individual differences in production and perception. Experiment 1 categorizes coarticulation types based on speaking rate, while Experiment 2 explores how listeners perceive coarticulation. Results show that speaker-specific patterns reflect phonological variations in vowel nasalization, supporting the active role of speakers and listeners in using coarticulation to express lexical contrasts.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 75 pages
Publication date: 04 August 2022
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

The representation of coarticulation in speakers' mental grammars and its significance in explaining synchronic and diachronic sound patterns across languages is a topic of ongoing debate. This Element adopts an individual-differences approach to investigate nasal coarticulation in production and perception in American English, aiming to understand how coarticulation is employed phonologically in the language. Experiment 1 explores coarticulatory variation among 60 speakers, utilizing the relationship between speaking rate and coarticulation to classify three types of coarticulation. Experiment 2 focuses on perception, examining how speakers' realization of coarticulation influences listeners' identification of lexical items. The author demonstrates that variations in speaker-specific coarticulation patterns reflect differences in the phonologization of vowel nasalization. The results support predictions made by models that propose an active role by both speakers and listeners in utilizing coarticulatory variation to express lexical contrasts and view coarticulation as represented in an individual's grammar.

Weight: 118g
Dimension: 151 x 228 x 9 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781009077330