How phonological context affects comprehension: The case of assimilated nasals and stops
نویسندگان
چکیده
Four forced-choice identification tasks examined the recognition of words containing sounds that have undergone the process of nasal place assimilation (‘phone box’: /n/→[m]) or stop place assimilation (‘cat box’: /t/→[p]). Identification scores and response times were measured for words ending in unassimilated or assimilated coronal consonants, which were either presented in isolation or within a carrier sentence that provided the triggering phonological context for place assimilation (i.e., where the word-final coronal consonant is followed by a word-initial labial sound). Identification scores showed that the presence of the context had a positive influence on listeners’ correct identification of the assimilated forms. Furthermore, this effect was comparable across nasal and stop consonants. However, response time measures showed that phonological context speeded the recognition of assimilated nasals but not assimilated stops. This finding is consistent with the idea that compensation for assimilation involves distinct processing mechanisms for nasals versus stop consonants.
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