The role of vowel-to-consonant transitions in the perception of phonological consonant length

Abstract

It has been noted [S. Kawahara, Univ. of Mass. Occasional Papers in Linguistics 32: Papers in Optimality Theory (2005)] that more sonorous consonants are less likely to occur as geminates in the world’s languages. Two experiments were performed to test whether a phonetic parameter, the vowel-to-consonant formant transition duration, relates to the possible neutralization of the length distinction for more vowel-like consonants. In a production experiment the consonant constriction and onset transition durations are measured for Persian geminate and singleton consonants spoken at three speaking rates. Stops, fricatives, nasals, liquids, glides, and glottal consonants are studied. Segments that are predicted to be less likely to occur as geminates have longer transitions at all speaking rates. A perception experiment based on manipulated palatal glide stimuli demonstrates that listeners have more difficulty categorizing a consonant as long or short if the transition is longer. Difficulty of categorization is measured both by reaction times and the slope of the curve-fitted cumulative identification model, where a flatter slope indicates a less distinct perceptual boundary.