Speaking rate from proximal and distal contexts is used during word segmentation.

Abstract

A series of eye-tracking and categorization experiments investigated the use of speaking-rate information in the segmentation of Dutch ambiguous-word sequences. Juncture phonemes with ambiguous durations (e.g., [s] in 'eens (s)peer,' "once (s)pear," [t] in 'nooit (t)rap,' "never staircase/quick") were perceived as longer and hence more often as word-initial when following a fast than a slow context sentence. Listeners used speaking-rate information as soon as it became available. Rate information from a context proximal to the juncture phoneme and from a more distal context was used during on-line word recognition, as reflected in listeners' eye movements. Stronger effects of distal context, however, were observed in the categorization task, which measures the off-line results of the word-recognition process. In categorization, the amount of rate context had the greatest influence on the use of rate information, but in eye tracking, the rate information's proximal location was the most important. These findings constrain accounts of how speaking rate modulates the interpretation of durational cues during word recognition by suggesting that rate estimates are used to evaluate upcoming phonetic information continuously during prelexical speech processing.

Perceptual adaptation to segmental and syllabic reductions in continuous spoken Dutch

“…So listeners do not interpret an incoming sound solely on the basis of its acoustic properties, but take speaker-specific properties (like the available F1 range) into account. Another example of how listeners tune in to a particular talker is provided by Reinisch, Jesse, and McQueen (2011). They showed that the perception of a juncture phoneme with a constant, but ambiguous duration (e.g., [s] in Dutch eens (s)peer "once (s)pear" changed depending on the rate at which the preceding context was spoken.…”

Interactions between distal speech rate, linguistic knowledge, and speech environment

“…Recently, several lines of research have demonstrated that nonlocal information, specifically the signal-based factors of distal (i.e., nonadjacent context) speech rate and rhythm, can influence spoken word segmentation and recognition (e.g., Baese-Berk et al, 2014;Dilley & Pitt, 2010;Holt, 2005;Reinisch, Jesse, & McQueen, 2011). For example, the perception of entire syllables or words can be affected by distal speech rate.…”

Natural fast speech is perceived as faster than linearly time-compressed speech

“…Through this process, they deal with the large variability in speaking rate during speech perception. That is, following a fast context sentence, a given sound is interpreted as longer than when it follows a slow context sentence (e.g., Ainsworth, 1972Ainsworth, , 1974Allen & Miller, 2001;Dilley & Pitt, 2010;Kidd, 1989;Miller, 1981Miller, , 1987Miller & Dexter, 1988;Newman & Sawusch, 2009;Reinisch, Jesse, & McQueen, 2011;Reinisch & Sjerps, 2013;Summerfield, 1981). For example, the wordinitial stop voicing contrast in English (e.g., /g/ vs. /k/) is mainly cued by temporal properties, namely duration of voice onset time (VOT).…”

“…As a result, context information influences whether listeners hear words, for instance, as goat or coat. This information can aid speech perception, especially in the case of ambiguous phonemes (e.g., Newman & Sawusch, 2009;Reinisch et al 2011;Sawusch & Newman, 2000) and even when other potential cues are available to the listener (Reinisch & Sjerps, 2013).…”

“…Studies of rate normalization in phonetic categorization have largely used one of two different methods to implement the rate manipulation: either a speaker is recorded at his or her natural rate and the sentence is manipulated by linear compression or expansion such as through PSOLA (e.g., Dilley & Pitt, 2010;Reinisch et al 2011;Reinisch & Sjerps, 2013), or the speaker is asked to produce a given sentence at normal, fast, and slow rates (e.g., Kidd, 1989;Newman & Sawusch, 2009). Although both methods of obtaining stimuli at different overall durations have produced reliable effects of speaking rate context on phonetic categorization, little is known about possible differences in the magnitude of these effects.…”