Evidence for the representation of syllables and syllable structure in the production of normal speech

Theories of speech production embrace a number of views of the syllable. Some theories do not use syllables. Those that do, differ on whether syllables are chunks that specify their phonological content or schemas that specify an abstract consonant-vowel (CV) frame apart from other phonological content. A third view uses both schemas and chunks and is called a mixed view. In four experiments, speakers repeated a pair of words or pronounceable nonwords as often as possible in 4-s. Each pair consisted of a monosyllable followed by a disyllable. Subjects' speech rate was faster when both the frame and the content of the monosyllable were repeated in the first syllable of the disyllable, relative to a condition in which the syllables' sounds were repeated but the frame was not. There was no additional advantage for repeating both content and structure over repeating structure alone. The results support the view that there is an abstract syllable frame that is separable from phonemic content, and are consistent with the view that syllables are abstract schemas rather than chunks or chunks-plus-schemas.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Psychology

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2011

Author dc:creator

• Sevald, Christine Ann

Contributors dc:contributor

• Dell, Gary S.

• Language, Linguistics
• Psychology, Experimental

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 1996 Sevald, Christine Ann

Language dc:language

eng

Identifier

AAI9625190
(UMI)AAI9625190

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/19393