Chunking or predicting – frequency information and reduction in the perception of multi-word sequences

Abstract

Abstract Frequently used linguistic structures become entrenched in memory; this is often assumed to make their consecutive parts more predictable, as well as fuse them into a single unit (chunking). High frequency moreover leads to a propensity for phonetic reduction. We present a word recognition experiment which tests how frequency information (string frequency, transitional probability) interacts with reduction in speech perception. Detection of the element to is tested in V-to-Vinf sequences in English (e.g., need to Vinf), where to can undergo reduction (“needa”). Results show that reduction impedes recognition, but this can be mitigated by the predictability of the item. Recognition generally benefits from surface frequency, while a modest chunking effect is found in delayed responses to reduced forms of high-frequency items. Transitional probability shows a facilitating effect on reduced but not on full forms. Reduced forms also pose more difficulty when the phonological context obscures the onset of to. We conclude that listeners draw on frequency information in a predictive manner to cope with reduction. High-frequency structures are not inevitably perceived as chunks, but depend on cues in the phonetic form – reduction leads to perceptual prominence of the whole over the parts and thus promotes a holistic access.