Acoustics and perception of coarticulation at a distance

Abstract

CVC syllables were recorded from two speakers of American English, in which the initial and final stops ranged over /b,d,g/ and the vowel ranged over /i,I,e,E,ae,u,U,o,O,a/. F2 locus equations differed systematically as a function of the place of articulation of the other stop. These equation’s slope and y intercepts were used to synthesize initial /g-b/ and /g-d/ continua in CVC syllables in which the final stop ranged over /b,d,g/ and the vowel over /e,o,a/, and the resulting stimuli were presented to listeners for identification. Listeners responded g significantly more often to both continua when the final stop was /d/ rather than /b/; the number of g responses fell between the /d/ and /b/ extremes for final /g/. This difference between final /d/ vs. /b/ is only observed when the intervening vowel is back /o,a/ and is actually reversed weakly when it is front /e/. Listeners also respond g significantly more often when the final stop is /g/ rather than /b/ and the vowel is /o,a/ but not [e]. Segments do coarticulate at a distance, listeners take this coarticulation into account, and perceptual adjustments depend on the segments through which the coarticulation is expressed. [Supported by NIH.]