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Selected Proceedings of the 3rd Conference on Laboratory Approaches to Spanish Phonology edited by Laura Colantoni and Jeffrey Steele ISBN 978-1-57473-424-9 library binding v+181 pages publication date: 2008 published by Cascadilla Proceedings Project, Somerville, MA, USA Table of contents Abstract Joaquín Romero Gestural Timing in the Perception of Spanish r+C Clusters 59-71 (complete pdf) This paper deals with the articulatory nature of r+C clusters in Spanish and the perceptual relevance of the vocalic element, known as 'svarabhakti' vowel, that is often found in these sequences. It is assumed, on the basis of articulatory evidence, that the vocalic element is not the result of a deliberate process of vowel insertion, but rather a targetless segment that surfaces as a consequence of the articulatory transitions between the gestures for the 'r' and those for the following consonant. The perceptual relevance of these transitional elements was tested by means of an experiment in which subjects were asked to identify the r+C sequences after the duration of the vocalic elements was manipulated. Results suggest that the presence of the vocalic element, though it can increase the percent of correct 'r' identification, is not essential for the perception of these clusters, which in turn is taken as evidence that the vocalic element is best understood as the result of the temporal coordination of articulatory gestures. |