Coarticulation in Italian /VtV/ sequences: a palatographic study

Patterns of linguopalatal contact during the production of intervocalic /t/ in different vowel contexts were examined by means of electropalatography, in order to assess the degree of dependency between tongue tip/blade and tongue body, the relative strength of anticipatory and carryover effects and their temporal extent. Results show that the coupling between tip and body of the tongue is rather loose: constraints imposed on tongue body by consonant production are described qualitatively and quantitatively. Carryover effects are stronger and more systematic than anticipatory effects: both can extend across the consonant. Results also indicate that coarticulatory effects depend on the identity of the vowel held constant and, to a lesser extent, on stress position. Some hypotheses are presented concerning articulatory goals and strategies in /VtV/ productions.