Constraints on definite article alternation in speech production: to "thee" or not to "thee"?

Variation in the speech signal as a window into the cognitive architecture of language production

The pronunciation of words is highly variable. This variation provides crucial information about the cognitive architecture of the language production system. This review summarizes key empirical findings about variation phenomena, integrating corpus, acoustic, articulatory, and chronometric data from phonetic and psycholinguistic studies. It examines how these data constrain our current understanding of word production processes and highlights major challenges and open issues that should be addressed in future research.

The Influence of Orthography on the Production of Alphabetic, Second-Language Allophones by Speakers of a Non-alphabetic Language

This study investigated the influence of orthographic information on the production of allophones in a second language (L2). Two proficiency levels of native Mandarin speakers learned novel Korean words with potential variants of /h/ based on auditory stimuli, and then they were provided various types of spellings for the variants, including the letters for [[Formula: see text]] and ø. Subsequently, picture-naming and spelling recall tasks were given to the Mandarin-speaking learners. The results showed that Mandarin-speaking learners, after exposure to the spellings, began to produce and lexically store the /h/ variants following the given forms of the spellings of words, which provides support for the impact of spellings in the production and lexical storage of L2 allophones. However, the effect of L2-learning experience was not shown to be strong, which suggests difficulty in the native-like attainment of the production of L2 allophones.

Pairing words with syntactic frames: syntax, semantics, and count-mass usage

Two experiments examined English speakers' choices of count or mass compatible frames for nouns varying in imageability (concrete, abstract) and noun class (count, mass). Pairing preferences with equative (much/many) and non-equative (less/fewer) constructions were compared for groups of teenagers, young adults, and older adults. Deviations from normative usage were, for all ages, larger for count than for mass nouns, for the non-equative than for the equative construction, and for abstract count than for concrete count nouns. These results indicate that mass syntax is not a developmental default, support proposals that mass syntax is more flexible than count syntax, verify the non-prescriptive use of less with count nouns, and extend the interaction of syntax and semantics in noun classification to older ages, with older adults showing a reduced reliance on semantics. Knowledge of frame compatibility and knowledge of noun class are also shown to be largely independent.

The time course of semantic and orthographic encoding in Chinese word production: an event-related potential study

Previous studies have shown that access to conceptual/semantic information precedes phonological access in alphabetic language production such as English or Dutch. The present study investigated the time course of semantic and orthographic encoding in Chinese (a non-alphabetic language) spoken word production. Participants were shown pictures and carried out a dual-choice go/nogo task based on semantic information and orthographic information. The results of the N200 (related to response inhibition) and LRP (related to response preparation) indicated that semantic access preceded orthographic encoding by 176-202 ms. The different patterns of the two N200 effects suggest that they may tap into different processes. The N200 and LRP analyses also indicate that accessing the orthographic representation in speaking is likely optional and depends on specific task requirement.