Abstract
A strict assumption that underlies categorical perception hypotheses is that two speech sounds are discriminable only when they cross a categorical boundary emerging from an identification function. A number of researchers have attempted to show the categorical perception of the sounds in question (particularly consonants) through discrimination and identification tests. However, these tests are usually used for mono-syllables or mono-syllabic words. In this study, we first investigated whether the perception of /ra/-/la/ contrast indicate any categorical perception in a mono-syllabic CV context, using synthesized syllables. Next, we tested whether categorical perception can be also observed in a sentence through perceptual discrimination and identification experiments. Results showed that (1) a discrimination peak predicted by the identification function was obtained only for the mono-syllabic context, and (2) discrimination accuracy in the sentence condition was consistently low. These results suggest that categorical perception in a strict sense may not be evident in the perception of a sentence.
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