Effects of VV-sequence deletion across word boundaries in Spanish

Abstract

Spanish does not allow vowel deletion in unstressed syllables the way languages like English do. However, it may occur in contexts of VV-sequences across word boundaries, under durational reduction in connected speech. This paper explores the effects of vowel deletion on the perception of [-high] vowel sequences on 8 native speakers of Peninsular Spanish. The results are then compared to the speakers’ pro-duction of those sequences. This double experiment suggests that, although match-ing between perception and production does not correlate, production cues are rele-vant to the perception of the words containing tautosyllabic vowels. Likewise, it is claimed that perceptual cues influence the production of vowel sequences, suggest-ing that perceptual distinctiveness is relevant to the understanding of acoustic and articulatory preferences.