Nonindependence of feature processing in initial consonants

Abstract

Mutual dependence in the processing of manner and place of articulation was investigated in two experiments. The first study assessed the location of the voiced-voiceless boundary as a function of place of articulation, and the second investigated the location of the labial-alveolar boundary as a function of manner class. In both experiments, the location of the phonetic boundary systematically varied as a function of the nontarget feature value. These results indicate that the processing of phonetic feature information occurs in parallel, with decisions about one feature influencing the particular value assigned to another feature.