PHONETIC EXPLANATIONS FOR SIBILANT PATTERNS IN SPANISH

Coarticulation complicates spoken language by yielding a complex overl ay of information that must be sorted out. Speech perception is a key stage in the communicative link that requires that an acoustic signal full of variable degradations be reconciled with the discrete, idealiz ed symbols that it represents. The encoding and decoding of language p resents ample opportunities for the initiation of sound variation and change given the potential for conversion errors. Phonetically induced variation in pronunciation creates the potential for subsequent popul arization and establishes a basis for comparing phonological phenomena similar in origin but different in ultimate outcome. Analysis of sibi lant sounds in Spanish illustrates the utility of considering both spe ech production and perception in the development of phonological patte rns. Experimental evidence supports the claim that low-level coarticul atory effects and auditory misparsing account for s-aspiration, sibila nt (de)voicing, and s-affrication.