The Effects of Semantic Context on Voicing Neutralization

Abstract

Abstract The present study examined regressive voice assimilation in Catalan in an attempt to determine a systematic explanation of complete versus incomplete voicing neutralization. Two types of contexts were constructed. In one type, semantic information was present to bias the meaning of target words. In the other type, no semantic information was present. The results showed that vowel duration distinguished underlying voicing in the neutral context only. The results suggest that neutralization occurs when semantic information is present, but that a voicing contrast is realized when it is absent.