Coarticulation as incomplete interpolation

Abstract

The main result of this project is that we successfully replicated Öhman´s (1966) study and were able to describe both his and our own data using 2-D locus equations. Restating this finding we can say that, for V1CV2 with C = [b], [d] or [g], F2 transition offsets and onsets could be accurately predicted from information on the F2 values of V1 and V2 and the identity of the consonant. These results are fully compatible with an account that describes speech movements as unfolding phoneme-by-phoneme and with de-activation of articulatory structures not recruited by the current phoneme. According to this view vowel-dependent coarticulation of consonants in V1CV2 utterances can be characterized as a process of incomplete interpolation between articulatorily specified goals.