The production and perception of sub-phonemic vowel contrasts and the role of the listener in sound change
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Michael Grosvald
Abstract
In his work on the role of the listener in language change, Ohala (1981) suggests that acoustic byproducts of physiological linguistic processes may sometimes be perceived by listeners as linguistically important information, creating a cycle which may ultimately lead to language change. To explore this issue, we investigated anticipatory vowel-to-vowel coarticulation in English, which previous work has shown can exert influence over as much as three vowels’ distance. The perceptibility of such effects at various distances from the influencing vowel was tested using event-related-potentials (ERP) and behavioral methodologies. Even the longest-distance effects were perceptible to some listeners. This group of listeners also provided production data. While the strongest support for a language-change hypothesis like that discussed here would come from a production-perception correlation, this was not found. However, we argue that even in the absence of such a correlation, the present findings are broadly consistent with such an account.
Abstract
In his work on the role of the listener in language change, Ohala (1981) suggests that acoustic byproducts of physiological linguistic processes may sometimes be perceived by listeners as linguistically important information, creating a cycle which may ultimately lead to language change. To explore this issue, we investigated anticipatory vowel-to-vowel coarticulation in English, which previous work has shown can exert influence over as much as three vowels’ distance. The perceptibility of such effects at various distances from the influencing vowel was tested using event-related-potentials (ERP) and behavioral methodologies. Even the longest-distance effects were perceptible to some listeners. This group of listeners also provided production data. While the strongest support for a language-change hypothesis like that discussed here would come from a production-perception correlation, this was not found. However, we argue that even in the absence of such a correlation, the present findings are broadly consistent with such an account.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Foreword and acknowledgements vii
- List of contributors and discussion participants ix
- Editors’ introduction 1
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Part I. Perception
- The listener as a source of sound change 21
- Perception grammars and sound change 37
- A phonetic interpretation of the sound changes affecting dark /l/ in Romance 57
- The production and perception of sub-phonemic vowel contrasts and the role of the listener in sound change 77
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Part II. Production
- The coarticulatory basis of diachronic high back vowel fronting 103
- Natural and unnatural patterns of sound change? 123
- The gaits of speech 147
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Part III. Social factors, structural factors and the typology of change
- Prosodic skewing of input and the initiation of cross-generational sound change 167
- Social and personality variables in compensation for altered auditory feedback 185
- Patterns of lexical diffusion and articulatory motivation for sound change 211
- Foundational concepts in the scientific study of sound change 235
- Index of subjects and terms 247
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Foreword and acknowledgements vii
- List of contributors and discussion participants ix
- Editors’ introduction 1
-
Part I. Perception
- The listener as a source of sound change 21
- Perception grammars and sound change 37
- A phonetic interpretation of the sound changes affecting dark /l/ in Romance 57
- The production and perception of sub-phonemic vowel contrasts and the role of the listener in sound change 77
-
Part II. Production
- The coarticulatory basis of diachronic high back vowel fronting 103
- Natural and unnatural patterns of sound change? 123
- The gaits of speech 147
-
Part III. Social factors, structural factors and the typology of change
- Prosodic skewing of input and the initiation of cross-generational sound change 167
- Social and personality variables in compensation for altered auditory feedback 185
- Patterns of lexical diffusion and articulatory motivation for sound change 211
- Foundational concepts in the scientific study of sound change 235
- Index of subjects and terms 247
