The phonetics and phonology of perceptually motivated articulatory covariation.

This paper presents evidence that the acoustic effects of demonstrably independent articulations are integrated in the perception of vowel height and [voice] contrasts. This evidence supports two hypotheses: That, in at least some instances, articulatory covariation is perceptually motivated, and that the objects of speech perception are auditory rather than articulatory. Furthermore, it appears that perceptual integration can either increase or decrease the distinctiveness of contrasting speech sounds, so it may not only create favored patterns of articulatory covariation but also disfavored patterns. This suggests that integration is a product of general auditory mechanisms, not of mechanisms specific to speech perception.