Rate conditioned variability in Western Andalusian Spanish aspiration.

Abstract

Western Andalusian Spanish normally shows aspiration of /s/ in coda position, but post-, rather than pre-, closure aspiration in /s/ + /p,t,k/ sequences. This has been hypothesized to be the result of gestural reorganization, with pre-closure aspiration the result of anti-phase coordination and post-closure the result of in-phase [Torreira, 9th HLS, 2007]. This experiment explores this hypothesis by leveraging the fact that fast speech can lead to instability in gestural organization and even a spontaneous switch from anti- to in-phase coordination [Turvey, Am. Psych., 1990]. Subjects produced words with the target /s/+/p,t,k/ sequences in time with an acoustic metronome that steadily increased in rate. Results show three patterns of production: consistent preaspiration, consistent postaspiration, and a transition from pre- to post-aspiration as rate increased, corresponding to anti-phase, in-phase, and an anti- to in-phase transition, respectively. Excluding the trials with consistent postaspiration, which would not be expected to transition given their stable in-phase coordination, postaspiration increases as rate increases. If there were no change in gestural coupling, we would expect the opposite pattern: as rate increases, VOT should decrease. The result thus supports the original hypothesis that postaspiration in these sequences is the result of gestural re-phasing.