The nature of segments in the lexicon: Evidence from speech errors

Abstract

Phonological theory provides two hypotheses about the nature of segments in the lexicon. The Feature-Segment Hypothesis (FSH) holds that segments are bundles of features. The Indivisible-Segment Hypothesis (ISH) maintains that segments in the lexicon are unanalyzable, and that features are obtained from a segmental lexicon. Under FSH, putting archisegments and fine phonetic detail into the lexicon constitutes a simplification, while these add complexity under ISH. Evidence is presented from three types of speech errors that are problems of lexical access: word blends, noncontextually-related phonological errors, and within-word phonological sequencing errors. Mechanisms involved in accessing segments from the lexicon under both hypotheses are discussed in detail. In all cases, FSH makes incorrect predictions about the types of errors that can occur, while ISH is compatible with all the data. It is concluded that features cannot be present in lexical entries. Errors in aphasia and child language support this conclusion.