Final S in English: The role of acoustic detail in morphological processing and learning

在第一个资助期，来自三个语料库的平行证据表明，英语中不同类型的词尾S(即非语素的S和后缀的S以及词缀的has/is)在声学实现上存在差异。这些发现对形态-音系学相互作用理论和语音产生模型提出了重要的挑战，因为目前尚不清楚形态状态的差异如何能够影响语音执行。然而，关于S持续时间这种系统变异性的令人惊讶的发现需要复制，它们提出了关于理解和学习的更多有趣的问题。该项目将首先在严格控制的语音和句法环境中使用WUG刺激进行生产研究，以测试效果的稳健性。然后，我们转向不同类型的S之间所观察到的差异是否可见并用于理解的问题。这个问题将通过ABX辨别任务和两个听者判断任务(分别使用反应时间和鼠标跟踪)在进一步的实验中得到解决。最后一个研究问题与学习有关：听者能否利用声学差异来建立新的表征？这个问题的答案也关系到语言变异和变化研究中的一个基本问题，即是否可以使用梯度声学细节来对对比进行形态描述，以及语音和形态在语言发展和语音变化中是否(或如何)能够看到彼此。为了回答这个问题，我们将用一种人工语言进行一项学习实验，在这种语言中，我们操纵后缀的持续时间提示。

In the first funding period, parallel evidence from three corpus studies has shown that different types of word-final S in English (i.e. non-morphemic S vs. suffixal S vs. cliticised has/is) differ in their acoustic realization. These findings present an important challenge for theories of morphology-phonology interaction and for models of speech production as it is currently unclear how differences in morphological status are able to influence phonetic implementation. However, the surprising findings on this systematic variability S duration are in need of replication, and they raise further interesting questions concerning comprehension and learning. The project will first test the robustness of the effects with a production study using Wug stimuli in carefully controlled phonological and syntactic environments. We then turn to the question of whether the observed differences between different types of S are perceivable and are used in comprehension. This question will be tackled in further experiments using an ABX discrimination task, and two listener judgment tasks (using reaction times and mouse-tracking, respectively). The final research question concerns learning: Can acoustic differences be used by listeners to establish new representations? The answer to this question is also relevant for a fundamental problem in the study of language variation and change, that is, whether gradient acoustic detail can be used to morphologize a contrast, and whether (or how) phonetics and morphology are able to see each other in language development and sound change. To answer that question we will carry out a learning experiment with an artificial language in which we manipulate durational cues for suffixes.