Japanese Perceptual Epenthesis is Modulated by Transitional Probability.
Alexander Kilpatrick1, Shigeto Kawahara2, Rikke Bundgaard-Nielsen3
1University of Melbourne, Australia; Nagoya University of Business and Commerce, Japan.
Language and Speech
|June 17, 2020
Summary
Listeners perceive illusory vowels (perceptual epenthesis) in speech based on transitional probability, not just minimal vowel properties. This indicates language-specific expectations shape how we fill gaps in consonant sequences.
Area of Science:
- Psycholinguistics
- Phonetics
- Speech Perception
Background:
- Perceptual epenthesis involves inserting illusory vowels into consonant sequences that violate phonotactic rules.
- Traditionally, the minimal vowel (shortest/quietest) was considered the sole candidate for epenthesis.
- Recent findings show alternate vowels emerge when the minimal vowel conflicts with native co-occurrence restrictions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of transitional probability in modulating perceptual epenthesis.
- To test if language-specific transitional probabilities influence the choice of epenthetic vowels.
- To examine the perceptual epenthesis of Japanese vowels /u/ and /i/ in relation to their transitional probability.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments were conducted with Japanese listeners.
- Experiment 1: Listeners categorized VCCV tokens into VCuCV and VCiCV.
- Experiment 2: Participants discriminated VCCV tokens from VCuCV and VCiCV.
Main Results:
- Perceptual epenthesis is influenced by transitional probability.
- Japanese listeners showed a higher likelihood of perceiving /i/ epenthesis in sequences where /i/ had higher transitional probability.
- This supports the hypothesis that transitional probability modulates vowel epenthesis.
Conclusions:
- Speech perception, including perceptual epenthesis, is modulated by transitional probability.
- Epenthetic vowels must align with language-specific listener expectations derived from transitional probabilities.
- Transitional probability offers a more comprehensive explanation for observed perceptual epenthesis patterns than minimal vowel theory alone.
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