The syllabic attachment of post‐vocalic liquids and nasals: Error elicitation evidence

Abstract

Inferences based on spontaneous speech error corpora regarding the syllabic attachment of post‐vocalic liquids and nasals are experimentally tested using the error elicitation technique described in Motley, Baars, and Camden (1983). In the first experiment, 44 subjects were tested on “Vr” and “Vl” sequences. As predicted Vr sequences were not split up, whereas Vl sequences were. Subjects moved the vowel significantly more often in Vl sequences than in Vr sequences (Wilcoxon, p < 0.001); in addition “l” was moved significantly more often than “r” (Wilcoxon, p <0.0001). Here, Vl did, however, move as a unit, lending support to the Halle and Vergnaud (1980) sonorant constituent. The second experiment used 45 subjects to test the viability of such a constituent by comparing Vl to vowel nasal (“Vn”) sequences, and nasal and liquid obstruent (SO) sequences to obstruent obstruent (OO) sequences. As predicted Vl and Vn sequences were indistinguishable from each other and SO and OO were significantly different. This convergence of evidence from separate domains supports the generative assumption that constructs of competence underlie the capacity for use.