On the nature of the perception-production link: Individual variability in English sibilant-vowel coarticulation

Abstract

This study aims to elucidate the nature of the perception–production link with respect to coarticulation by examining the production and perception of English sibilants before different vowels. A group of native speakers of American English were recorded reciting a set of /s/- and /ʃ/-initial words in different vocalic contexts and took part in an identification experiment designed to test their ability to adjust their perceptual expectation in light of the vocalic influence on the preceding sibilant. Significant correlations between the production and perception results were observed when by-subject estimates for context-relevant predictors (and their interactions) in the perception regression models were examined in relation to the by-subject estimates of the production regression models. These results suggest a positive correlation between how much an individual attends to context-specific variation in perception and how the sibilant contrast is realized in specific vocalic contexts. Ramifications of these findings are discussed for the nature of speech perception and production and the understanding of sound change.