Interactions in processing segmental and suprasegmental features of speech

A speeded classification task was used to determine the nature of the dependency relation that exists during the processing of a segmental distinction in vowel quality and a suprasegmental distinction in pitch (Experiment 1) or loudness (Experiment 2) in a consonantvowel syllable. In both experiments, evidence was found for a mutual, symmetrical dependency between the processes underlying the analysis of the segmental and suprasegmental information in the syllable. This type of interaction pattern contrasts with the pattern of unidirectional dependency previously found for the analysis of a consonantal distinction and a suprasegmental distinction, in which the analysis of the consonantal information was found to be dependent on the analysis of the suprasegmental information (e.g., Wood, 1974). Together with these earlier findings, the present results clearly indicate that the form of the interaction between processes responsible for segmental and suprasegmental analysis is a function of the type of segmental information being analyzed. Future research must determine whether the distinct interaction patterns found thus far for consonants and vowels are due to a difference in phonetic class per se, i.e., consonant vs. vowel, or to a difference in the nature of the acoustic information specifying the consonant and vowel.