The effect of vowel quality variations on stress-beat location

Abstract

This study examines the effect which medial vowel variations have upon the rhythmic production and perception of stressed CVC monosyllables. Experiment 1, a production test, demonstrated that as a talker produces a longer vowel, the stress beat of the monosyllable moves away from the vowel onset, all other things being equal. Experiment 2 demonstrated that the perceived stress-beat location of a stressed monosyllable also moves away from the vowel onset as a function of the vowel duration and that the stress beat occurs later in tense (long) vowels than in lax (short) vowels. Experiment 3 demonstrated that this difference between tense and lax vowels disappears when the durations of the vowels are equalized; thus the effect is due to actual duration rather than vowel quality. Thus although tense vowels may be expected to have greater length, listeners did not react to vowel quality cues in terms of greater length anticipation. The data support the contention that stress-beat location is determined on the basis of the structure of the entire token.