Using a production-center methodology to probe syllabic constituency

Abstract

Research on speech production in the P-center paradigm (Rapp, 1972) explores how speakers produce various items with temporal regularity, as guided by a metronome. Studies find a regular pattern in which, with small offsets created by different types of onset consonants, and by material appearing after the vowel, the acoustic onsets of stressed vowels are aligned with the metronome. The current paper examines the extent to which language structure, in the form of syllabic constituency, affects speech in metronome alignment. Previous work (Lin, 2020) finds strong evidence that Mandarin speakers associate approximants with neighboring vowels, contra English wherein labial approximants (as in quick) appear to associate with the previous onset consonants. In the current work, 6 speakers of Mandarin produced syllabic forms in time to a metronome. Stimuli included items with and without vowel-like approximants before the vowel. Mandarin productions show strong evidence for metronome alignment with the onset of these approximants, as would be the case if a vowel complex forms the main unit of alignment and approximants are part of this vowel complex. Analysis of the parallel English productions is currently underway, and will be reported.