Spectral and Perceptual Evidence for CV Coarticulation in Devoiced /si/ and /syu/ in Japanese

要旨

We examined the spectral and perceptual characteristics of devoiced /si/ and /syu/ syllables in Japanese. Measurements showed that the deleted vowel can color the spectrum of the [integral of] in these syllables, although the mean influence is small. Perception tests showed that Japanese listeners can use this spectral coloring as a cue to the identity of the underlying vowel, although identification was substantially worse than in syllables where the /i/ or /u/ is maintained. These results suggest that a supposedly lower-level coarticulation between the fricative and the vowel can occur before a higher-level process deletes the vowel, contradicting the order implied by traditional accounts of speech as a translation of discrete phonological units.

主題