Frequency effects in palatalization: Articulatory evidence from English

Abstract

Lexical frequency and its influence on speech production have been widely acknowledged across languages and varieties, and frequency effects are so prevalent in various phonological and coarticulatory phenomena. Previous experimental studies have reported that high lexical frequency leads a greater chance of overt coarticulation (for example, more frequent overt palatalization of /d/ in would you (high-frequency) than bad you (low-frequency)). This study tests for articulatory evidence of frequency effects in palatalization by examining palatalized consonants resulted by lexical and post-lexical palatalization in English using ultrasound imaging. Comparisons of tongue contours of palatalized consonants produced by 12 native speakers of American English show that differences in lexical frequency are not directly linked to articulatory gestures. That is, speakers do not necessarily produce a greater degree of palatalization (i.e., tongue contour closer to the palate) in high-frequency words or phrases. Moreover, while most speakers maintain some degree of articulatory contrast in high- vs. low-frequency contexts, the way speakers differentiate palatalized consonants from high- vs. low-frequency items is highly individualized. The findings from this study are in line with individual variation in coarticulation, and merit further exploration in the role of lexical frequency in speech production.Lexical frequency and its influence on speech production have been widely acknowledged across languages and varieties, and frequency effects are so prevalent in various phonological and coarticulatory phenomena. Previous experimental studies have reported that high lexical frequency leads a greater chance of overt coarticulation (for example, more frequent overt palatalization of /d/ in would you (high-frequency) than bad you (low-frequency)). This study tests for articulatory evidence of frequency effects in palatalization by examining palatalized consonants resulted by lexical and post-lexical palatalization in English using ultrasound imaging. Comparisons of tongue contours of palatalized consonants produced by 12 native speakers of American English show that differences in lexical frequency are not directly linked to articulatory gestures. That is, speakers do not necessarily produce a greater degree of palatalization (i.e., tongue contour closer to the palate) in high-frequency words or phrases. More...